Sanitation facilities usage in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Sanitation facilities usage was 26.3% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Sanitation facilities usage in Costa Rica, 2000–2024
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, sanitation facilities usage in Costa Rica stood at 26.3%. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.2% on the previous year and up 13.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, sanitation facilities usage in Costa Rica peaked at 26.3% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 22.6%, in 2012.
That places Costa Rica 121st out of 150 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
Sanitation facilities usage in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 24.0% | — |
| 2001 | 23.8% | -0.7% |
| 2002 | 23.7% | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 23.5% | -0.7% |
| 2004 | 23.3% | -0.7% |
| 2005 | 23.2% | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 23.0% | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 22.9% | -0.6% |
| 2008 | 22.8% | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 22.7% | -0.4% |
| 2010 | 22.6% | -0.4% |
| 2011 | 22.6% | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 22.6% | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 22.8% | +1.3% |
| 2014 | 23.1% | +1.3% |
| 2015 | 23.4% | +1.3% |
| 2016 | 23.8% | +1.3% |
| 2017 | 24.1% | +1.3% |
| 2018 | 24.4% | +1.3% |
| 2019 | 24.7% | +1.3% |
| 2020 | 25.0% | +1.3% |
| 2021 | 25.3% | +1.2% |
| 2022 | 25.6% | +1.3% |
| 2023 | 26.0% | +1.3% |
| 2024 | 26.3% | +1.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 23.3% | 22.7% | 24.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 23.4% | 22.6% | 24.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 25.6% | 25.0% | 26.3% | 5 |
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 sanitation facilities usage in Costa Rica?
- Sanitation facilities usage in Costa Rica was 26.3% in 2024, according to WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest sanitation facilities usage recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 26.3% in 2024.
- What is the lowest sanitation facilities usage recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 22.6% in 2012.
- How does Costa Rica rank for sanitation facilities usage?
- Costa Rica ranks 121st out of 150 countries with data for 2024.
- Is sanitation facilities usage rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Sanitation facilities usage. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Proportion of people using improved sanitation facilities that are not shared with other households and where excreta are safely disposed in situ or transported and treated off-site.