Share of population living in the capital city in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Share of population living in the capital city was 41.7% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in the capital city in Costa Rica, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of population living in the capital city in Costa Rica stood at 41.7%. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
That represents a change of up 4.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in the capital city in Costa Rica peaked at 41.7% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 19.9%, in 1950.
Costa Rica ranks 19th of 170 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Share of population living in the capital city in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 19.9% | — |
| 1955 | 21.2% | +6.3% |
| 1960 | 22.2% | +4.7% |
| 1965 | 23.4% | +5.4% |
| 1970 | 24.7% | +5.6% |
| 1975 | 26.6% | +7.6% |
| 1980 | 27.4% | +3.1% |
| 1985 | 30.6% | +11.5% |
| 1990 | 33.8% | +10.6% |
| 1995 | 36.4% | +7.6% |
| 2000 | 40.1% | +10.3% |
| 2005 | 39.3% | -1.9% |
| 2010 | 39.9% | +1.5% |
| 2015 | 40.0% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 41.7% | +4.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 20.6% | 19.9% | 21.2% | 2 |
| 1960s | 22.8% | 22.2% | 23.4% | 2 |
| 1970s | 25.6% | 24.7% | 26.6% | 2 |
| 1980s | 29.0% | 27.4% | 30.6% | 2 |
| 1990s | 35.1% | 33.8% | 36.4% | 2 |
| 2000s | 39.7% | 39.3% | 40.1% | 2 |
| 2010s | 39.9% | 39.9% | 40.0% | 2 |
| 2020s | 41.7% | 41.7% | 41.7% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
- 16 Barbados 43.0% compare
- 17 Republic of Korea 42.9% compare
- 18 New Caledonia 42.3% compare
- 20 Suriname 40.2% compare
- 21 Dominican Republic 40.1% compare
- 22 Taiwan, China 39.0% compare
More population data for Costa Rica
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.9965 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -0.2884 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.9965 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.6681 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 5,703 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.5224 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.7399 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth -1.0% (2100)
- Population density 73.96 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 123,827 people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in the capital city in Costa Rica?
- Share of population living in the capital city in Costa Rica was 41.7% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in the capital city recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 41.7% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of population living in the capital city recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 19.9% in 1950.
- How does Costa Rica rank for share of population living in the capital city?
- Costa Rica ranks 19th out of 170 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in the capital city rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in the capital city. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of the total population living in the country's capital city. City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.