Share of population urban in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Share of population urban was 79.73 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
79.73
Change on year
up 0.5%
World rank
71st
of 236 countries
All-time high
79.73
in 2025
All-time low
33.5
in 1950
Years of data
76
1950–2025
Share of population urban in Costa Rica, 1950–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Costa Rica recorded 79.73 for share of population urban in 2025. That is the highest value across all 76 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.5% on the previous year and up 6.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population urban in Costa Rica peaked at 79.73 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 33.5, in 1950.
Costa Rica ranks 71st of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 76 years of available data.
Share of population urban in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 33.5 | — |
| 1951 | 33.51 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 33.53 | +0.1% |
| 1953 | 33.56 | +0.1% |
| 1954 | 33.61 | +0.1% |
| 1955 | 33.66 | +0.2% |
| 1956 | 33.73 | +0.2% |
| 1957 | 33.81 | +0.2% |
| 1958 | 33.9 | +0.3% |
| 1959 | 34 | +0.3% |
| 1960 | 34.1 | +0.3% |
| 1961 | 34.22 | +0.3% |
| 1962 | 34.35 | +0.4% |
| 1963 | 34.49 | +0.4% |
| 1964 | 34.76 | +0.8% |
| 1965 | 35.21 | +1.3% |
| 1966 | 35.8 | +1.7% |
| 1967 | 36.5 | +1.9% |
| 1968 | 37.26 | +2.1% |
| 1969 | 38.04 | +2.1% |
| 1970 | 38.82 | +2.0% |
| 1971 | 39.54 | +1.9% |
| 1972 | 40.16 | +1.6% |
| 1973 | 40.66 | +1.2% |
| 1974 | 41.07 | +1.0% |
| 1975 | 41.43 | +0.9% |
| 1976 | 41.75 | +0.8% |
| 1977 | 42.04 | +0.7% |
| 1978 | 42.33 | +0.7% |
| 1979 | 42.61 | +0.7% |
| 1980 | 42.89 | +0.7% |
| 1981 | 43.2 | +0.7% |
| 1982 | 43.54 | +0.8% |
| 1983 | 43.93 | +0.9% |
| 1984 | 44.37 | +1.0% |
| 1985 | 44.87 | +1.1% |
| 1986 | 45.47 | +1.3% |
| 1987 | 46.14 | +1.5% |
| 1988 | 46.89 | +1.6% |
| 1989 | 47.71 | +1.7% |
| 1990 | 48.58 | +1.8% |
| 1991 | 49.51 | +1.9% |
| 1992 | 50.48 | +2.0% |
| 1993 | 51.49 | +2.0% |
| 1994 | 52.53 | +2.0% |
| 1995 | 53.6 | +2.0% |
| 1996 | 54.68 | +2.0% |
| 1997 | 55.77 | +2.0% |
| 1998 | 56.87 | +2.0% |
| 1999 | 57.96 | +1.9% |
| 2000 | 59.05 | +1.9% |
| 2001 | 60.14 | +1.9% |
| 2002 | 61.28 | +1.9% |
| 2003 | 62.45 | +1.9% |
| 2004 | 63.66 | +1.9% |
| 2005 | 64.9 | +1.9% |
| 2006 | 66.17 | +2.0% |
| 2007 | 67.47 | +2.0% |
| 2008 | 68.79 | +2.0% |
| 2009 | 70.14 | +2.0% |
| 2010 | 71.51 | +2.0% |
| 2011 | 72.84 | +1.9% |
| 2012 | 73.39 | +0.8% |
| 2013 | 73.94 | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 74.49 | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 75.02 | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 75.54 | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 76.05 | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 76.55 | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 77.04 | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 77.52 | +0.6% |
| 2021 | 77.99 | +0.6% |
| 2022 | 78.44 | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 78.88 | +0.6% |
| 2024 | 79.31 | +0.5% |
| 2025 | 79.73 | +0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 33.68 | 33.5 | 34 | 10 |
| 1960s | 35.47 | 34.1 | 38.04 | 10 |
| 1970s | 41.04 | 38.82 | 42.61 | 10 |
| 1980s | 44.9 | 42.89 | 47.71 | 10 |
| 1990s | 53.15 | 48.58 | 57.96 | 10 |
| 2000s | 64.41 | 59.05 | 70.14 | 10 |
| 2010s | 74.64 | 71.51 | 77.04 | 10 |
| 2020s | 78.64 | 77.52 | 79.73 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
More population data for Costa Rica
- 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)
- Population growth rate -1 (2100)
- Population density 73.96 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 123,827 (2100)
- Population growth rate by level of development -1 (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population urban in Costa Rica?
- Share of population urban in Costa Rica was 79.73 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population urban recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 79.73 in 2025.
- What is the lowest share of population urban recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 33.5 in 1950.
- How does Costa Rica rank for share of population urban?
- Costa Rica ranks 71st out of 236 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of population urban rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population urban. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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