Population growth in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Population growth was 0.5% in 2024. βΌ Falling
Latest (2024)
0.5%
Change on year
up 2.1%
World rank
146th
of 215 countries
All-time high
2.8%
in 1984
All-time low
0.4%
in 2022
Years of data
55
1970β2024
Population growth in Costa Rica, 1970β2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in annual %.
Analysis
In 2024, population growth in Costa Rica stood at 0.5%.
That represents a change of up 2.1% on the previous year and down 55.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population growth in Costa Rica peaked at 2.8% in 1984 and was at its lowest, 0.4%, in 2022.
Costa Rica ranks 146th of 215 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 55 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.6% | 2.5% | 2.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.7% | 2.5% | 2.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.4% | 2.1% | 2.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.5% | 1.3% | 1.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.1% | 0.8% | 1.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
- 143 Antigua and Barbuda 0.5% compare
- 144 Cape Verde 0.5% compare
- 145 Azerbaijan 0.5% compare
- 147 Micronesia, Federated States of 0.5% compare
- 148 Bahamas 0.5% compare
- 149 El Salvador 0.5% compare
More population data for Costa Rica
- Population growth rate by level of development -1 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 123,827 (2100)
- Population density 73.96 (2100)
- Population growth rate -1 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.7399 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.5224 Percent per annum (2030)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 5,703 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 0.5224 % change on previous year (2030)
- Fertility and wanted fertility 1.32 (2024)
- Refugee population by country or territory of asylum 31,632 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population growth in Costa Rica?
- Population growth in Costa Rica was 0.5% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest population growth recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 2.8% in 1984.
- What is the lowest population growth recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.4% in 2022.
- How does Costa Rica rank for population growth?
- Costa Rica ranks 146th out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
- Is population growth rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 55.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV Β· JSON β 55 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release