Share of population living in cities, towns and suburbs vs. GDP per capita in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Share of population living in cities, towns and suburbs vs. GDP per capita was 73.7% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in cities, towns and suburbs vs. GDP per capita in Costa Rica, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Costa Rica recorded 73.7% for share of population living in cities, towns and suburbs vs. gdp per capita in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in cities, towns and suburbs vs. gdp per capita in Costa Rica peaked at 73.7% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 41.2%, in 1950.
Costa Rica ranks 120th of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Share of population living in cities, towns and suburbs vs. GDP per capita in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 41.2% | — |
| 1955 | 45.0% | +9.3% |
| 1960 | 49.2% | +9.4% |
| 1965 | 53.4% | +8.5% |
| 1970 | 56.9% | +6.5% |
| 1975 | 59.9% | +5.2% |
| 1980 | 62.1% | +3.8% |
| 1985 | 64.3% | +3.5% |
| 1990 | 67.1% | +4.4% |
| 1995 | 69.7% | +3.8% |
| 2000 | 71.9% | +3.2% |
| 2005 | 72.7% | +1.1% |
| 2010 | 73.2% | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 73.4% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 73.7% | +0.4% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 73.7% is below the median for high income countries, which is 76.2%, 97% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 73.7% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 76.4%, 96% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 43.1% | 41.2% | 45.0% | 2 |
| 1960s | 51.3% | 49.2% | 53.4% | 2 |
| 1970s | 58.4% | 56.9% | 59.9% | 2 |
| 1980s | 63.2% | 62.1% | 64.3% | 2 |
| 1990s | 68.4% | 67.1% | 69.7% | 2 |
| 2000s | 72.3% | 71.9% | 72.7% | 2 |
| 2010s | 73.3% | 73.2% | 73.4% | 2 |
| 2020s | 73.7% | 73.7% | 73.7% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
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 cities, towns and suburbs vs. gdp per capita in Costa Rica?
- Share of population living in cities, towns and suburbs vs. gdp per capita in Costa Rica was 73.7% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in cities, towns and suburbs vs. gdp per capita recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 73.7% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of population living in cities, towns and suburbs vs. gdp per capita recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 41.2% in 1950.
- How does Costa Rica rank for share of population living in cities, towns and suburbs vs. gdp per capita?
- Costa Rica ranks 120th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in cities, towns and suburbs vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.7%. 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 major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in cities, towns and suburbs vs. GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Estimated share of the population living in urban areas (the sum of cities and towns and suburbs). Urban areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.