Urban and rural population in Costa Rica

Costa Rica: Urban and rural population was 4.11 million in 2025. β—† Volatile

Latest (2025)
4.11 million
Change on year
up 1.0%
World rank
114th
of 236 countries
All-time high
4.11 million
in 2025
All-time low
310,465
in 1950
Years of data
76
1950–2025

Urban and rural population in Costa Rica, 1950–2025

01.0M2.0M3.0M4.0M195019872025

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

Costa Rica recorded 4.11 million for urban and rural population in 2025. That is the highest value across all 76 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.0% on the previous year and up 13.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, urban and rural population in Costa Rica peaked at 4.11 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 310,465, in 1950.

Costa Rica ranks 114th of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 367,689 310,465 434,678 10
1960s 554,984 452,743 680,707 10
1970s 852,553 713,808 991,223 10
1980s 1.22 million 1.03 million 1.45 million 10
1990s 1.86 million 1.52 million 2.24 million 10
2000s 2.73 million 2.33 million 3.16 million 10
2010s 3.58 million 3.26 million 3.85 million 10
2020s 4.01 million 3.90 million 4.11 million 6

Countries ranked near Costa Rica

  1. 111 Serbia 4.19 million compare
  2. 112 Nicaragua 4.17 million compare
  3. 113 Congo 4.16 million compare
  4. 115 Sierra Leone 4.05 million compare
  5. 116 Malawi 3.91 million compare
  6. 117 Burundi 3.70 million compare

See the full ranking of 237 places β†’

More population data for Costa Rica

All data for Costa Rica β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is urban and rural population in Costa Rica?
Urban and rural population in Costa Rica was 4.11 million in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest urban and rural population recorded in Costa Rica?
The highest recorded value was 4.11 million in 2025.
What is the lowest urban and rural population recorded in Costa Rica?
The lowest recorded value was 310,465 in 1950.
How does Costa Rica rank for urban and rural population?
Costa Rica ranks 114th out of 236 countries with data for 2025.
Is urban and rural population rising or falling in Costa Rica?
Over the last ten years it is up 13.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Urban and rural population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV Β· JSON β€” 76 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Urban and rural population
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
237 places, 18,012 data points, 1950–2025
Last refreshed