Population growth rate in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Population growth rate was 0.5% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Population growth rate in Costa Rica, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for population growth rate in Costa Rica is 0.5%, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 11.6% on the previous year and down 54.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population growth rate in Costa Rica peaked at 3.8% in 1959 and was at its lowest, 0.4%, in 2021.
That places Costa Rica 147th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 3.6% | 3.3% | 3.8% | 10 |
| 1960s | 3.3% | 2.8% | 3.8% | 10 |
| 1970s | 2.6% | 2.5% | 2.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.7% | 2.5% | 2.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.4% | 2.0% | 2.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.5% | 1.3% | 1.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.0% | 0.8% | 1.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
- 144 Fiji 0.5% compare
- 145 Nauru 0.5% compare
- 146 Antigua and Barbuda 0.5% compare
- 148 Cape Verde 0.5% compare
- 149 Guernsey 0.5% compare
- 150 Micronesia (country) 0.5% compare
Frequently asked questions
- What is population growth rate in Costa Rica?
- Population growth rate in Costa Rica was 0.5% in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest population growth rate recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 3.8% in 1959.
- What is the lowest population growth rate recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.4% in 2021.
- How does Costa Rica rank for population growth rate?
- Costa Rica ranks 147th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is population growth rate rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 54.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Population growth rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The annual rate at which the population is growing, expressed as a percentage.