Rural population in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Rural population was 20.3% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Rural population in Costa Rica, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for rural population in Costa Rica is 20.3%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is down 2.0% on the previous year and down 18.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Costa Rica peaked at 65.9% in 1960 and was at its lowest, 20.3%, in 2025.
Costa Rica ranks 157th of 215 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 64.5% | 62.0% | 65.9% | 10 |
| 1970s | 59.0% | 57.4% | 61.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 55.1% | 52.3% | 57.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 46.9% | 42.0% | 51.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 35.6% | 29.9% | 41.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 25.4% | 23.0% | 28.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 21.4% | 20.3% | 22.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
More agriculture & rural data for Costa Rica
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.1% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2024)
- Rural population growth -1.6% (2025)
- Rural population 1.04 million (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 3.4% (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 3.46 billion current US$ (2025)
- Land under cereal production 18,980 hectares (2024)
- Cereal yield 3,807 kg per hectare (2024)
- Cereal production 72,256 metric tons (2024)
- Fertilizer consumption 1,025 kilograms per hectare of arable land (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Costa Rica?
- Rural population in Costa Rica was 20.3% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 65.9% in 1960.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 20.3% in 2025.
- How does Costa Rica rank for rural population?
- Costa Rica ranks 157th out of 215 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Rural population (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population.