LATIN AMERICA & CARIBBEAN · COUNTRY REFERENCE
Costa Rica
Written and compiled by American Business Capital Group Inc.
Selected country or entityMap: Natural Earth ↗
ANNUAL ECONOMIC SNAPSHOT
Population & economic scale
The most recent non-empty observations returned by the World Bank when this snapshot was collected. Read the year on each card: these are annual statistics, not live measurements.
World Bank reporting entity: Costa Rica · 3 of 3 indicators available.
Population
5,152,950
people
observation
Definition, value & source
Total population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship. The values shown are midyear estimates.
Received value: 5152950 people. The main card rounds for readability.
- Collected
- Oct 7, 2026
- Dataset update reported by API
- Jul 13, 2026; separate from the observation year
World Bank indicator ↗ · API record ↗
World Bank, World Development Indicators. CC BY 4.0. Underlying sources: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), uri: https://population.un.org/wpp/, publisher: UN Population Division; Statistical databases and publications from national statistical offices, National Statistical Offices (NSOs), uri: https://unstats.un.org/home/nso_sites/, publisher: National Statistical Offices; Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, Eurostat (ESTAT), uri: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/data/database?node_code=earn_ses_monthly, publisher: Eurostat; Population and Vital Statistics Report (various years), United Nations (UN), uri: https://unstats.un.org, publisher: UN Statistics Division
GDP
$102.9 billion
current US$
observation
Definition, value & source
Gross domestic product is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period. It can be measured in three different ways: using either the expenditure approach, the income approach, or the production approach. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This indicator is expressed in United States dollars.
Received value: 102904921157.478 current US$. The main card rounds for readability.
- Collected
- Oct 7, 2026
- Dataset update reported by API
- Jul 13, 2026; separate from the observation year
World Bank indicator ↗ · API record ↗
World Bank, World Development Indicators. CC BY 4.0. Underlying sources: Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks; National Accounts data files, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD); Staff estimates, World Bank (WB)
GDP per capita
$19,970
current US$ per person
observation
Definition, value & source
Gross domestic product is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period. It can be measured in three different ways: using either the expenditure approach, the income approach, or the production approach. The core indicator has been divided by the general population to achieve a per capita estimate.This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This indicator is expressed in United States dollars.
Received value: 19970.0989059622 current US$ per person. The main card rounds for readability.
- Collected
- Oct 7, 2026
- Dataset update reported by API
- Jul 13, 2026; separate from the observation year
World Bank indicator ↗ · API record ↗
World Bank, World Development Indicators. CC BY 4.0. Underlying sources: Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks; National Accounts data files, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD); Staff estimates, World Bank (WB)
GDP and GDP per capita use current US dollars, without an inflation or purchasing-power-parity adjustment. Source years can differ. Missing data is not zero; earlier archive figures below are retained as a separate historical reference.
THE REFERENCE FILE
Costa Rica at a glance
These are historical reference facts from the 2025 World Factbook archive. Each estimate keeps its own period; an archive edition does not make every figure a measurement from that year.
Population
total: 5,304,932 (2025 est.) male: 2,654,314 female: 2,650,618
Area
total : 51,100 sq km land: 51,060 sq km water: 40 sq km note: includes Isla del Coco
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
$138.371 billion (2024 est.) $132.64 billion (2023 est.) $126.189 billion (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars
GDP (official exchange rate)
$95.35 billion (2024 est.) note: data in current dollars at official exchange rate
Real GDP growth rate
4.3% (2024 est.) 5.1% (2023 est.) 4.6% (2022 est.) note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency
Real GDP per capita
$27,000 (2024 est.) $26,000 (2023 est.) $24,800 (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
-0.4% (2024 est.) 0.5% (2023 est.) 8.3% (2022 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices
Unemployment rate
7.9% (2024 est.) 8.4% (2023 est.) 11.4% (2022 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment
Labor force
2.357 million (2024 est.) note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work
Budget
revenues: $26.333 billion (2023 est.) expenditures: $25.953 billion (2023 est.) note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenditures converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated
Current account balance
-$1.291 billion (2024 est.) -$1.239 billion (2023 est.) -$2.272 billion (2022 est.) note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars
Exports
$36.77 billion (2024 est.) $33.683 billion (2023 est.) $29.392 billion (2022 est.) note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars
Imports
$30.459 billion (2024 est.) $28.413 billion (2023 est.) $27.095 billion (2022 est.) note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
$14.177 billion (2024 est.) $13.225 billion (2023 est.) $8.554 billion (2022 est.) note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars
Debt - external
$15.574 billion (2023 est.) note: present value of external debt in current US dollars
Electricity access
electrification - total population: 100% (2022 est.)
Internet users
percent of population: 85% (2023 est.)
THE HISTORICAL REFERENCE LIBRARY
Explore the country in detail
Browse the economy, population, resources and infrastructure. These archived descriptions keep their original wording and dates; they have not been updated to describe current conditions.
31 of 31 sections
Location
Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Nicaragua and Panama
archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Capital
name: San Jos geographic coordinates: 9 56 N, 84 05 W time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC, during Standard Time) etymology: Spanish settlers originally named the city Villa Nueva in 1736; it was later renamed for Saint Joseph
archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Economic overview
trade-based upper middle-income economy; green economy leader, having reversed deforestation; investing in blue economy infrastructure; declining poverty until hard impacts of COVID-19; lingering inequality and growing government debts have prompted a liquidity crisis
archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Natural resources
hydropower
archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Agricultural products
sugarcane, pineapples, bananas, oil palm fruit, milk, fruits, oranges, chicken, cassava, beef (2023) note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
2023 source periods; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Industries
medical equipment, food processing, textiles and clothing, construction materials, fertilizer, plastic products
archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Exports - partners
USA 40%, Netherlands 6%, China 5%, Guatemala 4%, Belgium 3% (2023) note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports
2023 source periods; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Exports - commodities
medical instruments, integrated circuits, orthopedic appliances, bananas, tropical fruits (2023) note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
2023 source periods; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Imports - partners
USA 38%, China 15%, Mexico 6%, Brazil 3%, Guatemala 3% (2023) note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
2023 source periods; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Imports - commodities
refined petroleum, plastic products, cars, medical instruments, broadcasting equipment (2023) note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
2023 source periods; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Climate
tropical and subtropical; dry season (December to April); rainy season (May to November); cooler in highlands
archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Terrain
coastal plains separated by rugged mountains including over 100 volcanic cones, of which several are major active volcanoes
archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Land use
agricultural land: 33.1% (2023 est.) arable land: 3.3% (2023 est.) permanent crops: 7.4% (2023 est.) permanent pasture: 22.5% (2023 est.) forest: 58.4% (2023 est.) other: 8.4% (2023 est.)
2023 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Natural hazards
occasional earthquakes, hurricanes along Atlantic coast; frequent flooding of lowlands at onset of rainy season and landslides; active volcanoes volcanism: Arenal (1,670 m) is the most active volcano in Costa Rica; a 1968 eruption destroyed the town of Tabacon; Irazu (3,432 m), situated just east of San Jose, has the potential to spew ash over the capital city, as it did between 1963 and 1965; other historically active volcanoes include Miravalles, Poas, Rincon de la Vieja, and Turrialba
1968, 1963, 1965 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Languages
Spanish (official), English major-language sample(s): La Libreta Informativa del Mundo, la fuente indispensable de informaci n b sica. (Spanish) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Religions
Roman Catholic 47.5%, Evangelical and Pentecostal 19.8%, Jehovah's Witness 1.4%, other Protestant 1.2%, other 3.1%, none 27% (2021 est.)
2021 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Age structure
0-14 years: 18.8% (male 506,041/female 482,481) 15-64 years: 70.2% (male 1,862,872/female 1,832,024) 65 years and over: 11.1% (2024 est.) (male 266,568/female 315,589)
2024 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Urbanization
urban population: 82.6% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 1.5% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
2023, 2020 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 80.3 years (2024 est.) male: 77.7 years female: 82.9 years
2024 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Literacy
female: 94.1% (2018 est.)
2018 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Electricity
installed generating capacity: 3.751 million kW (2023 est.) consumption: 9.957 billion kWh (2023 est.) exports: 774 million kWh (2023 est.) imports: 54 million kWh (2023 est.) transmission/distribution losses: 1.039 billion kWh (2023 est.)
2023 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Electricity generation sources
fossil fuels: 0.1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) solar: 0.7% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) wind: 12.7% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) hydroelectricity: 72.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) geothermal: 13.1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) biomass and waste: 0.5% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
2023 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Petroleum
total petroleum production: 400 bbl/day (2023 est.) refined petroleum consumption: 60,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
2023 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Carbon dioxide emissions
7.91 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.) from coal and metallurgical coke: 58,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.) from petroleum and other liquids: 7.852 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
2023 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Telephones - mobile cellular
total subscriptions: 6.98 million (2024 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 136 (2024 est.)
2024 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Broadband - fixed subscriptions
total: 1.15 million (2023 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 23 (2023 est.)
2023 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Airports
132 (2025)
2025 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Railways
total: 278 km (2014) narrow gauge: 278 km (2014) 1.067-m gauge note: the entire rail network fell into disrepair and out of use at the end of the 20th century; since 2005, certain sections of rail have been rehabilitated
2014, 2005 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Ports
total ports: 6 (2024) large: 0 medium: 0 small: 1 very small: 5 ports with oil terminals: 4 key ports: Golfito, Puerto Caldera, Puerto Limon, Puerto Moin, Puerto Quepos, Puntarenas
2024 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
GDP - composition, by sector of origin
agriculture: 3.6% (2024 est.) industry: 19.7% (2024 est.) services: 68.8% (2024 est.) note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data
2024 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Remittances
0.8% of GDP (2024 est.) 0.8% of GDP (2023 est.) 0.9% of GDP (2022 est.) note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities
2024, 2023, 2022 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
CURRENCY OBSERVATIONS
Money & exchange rates
The latest verified daily references are separate from the historical country profile. Values are currency units per US$1.
Costa Rican Colon
CRC per US$1
Published reference snapshot; its original observation date is preserved.
1 CRC = US$0.002180645
447.23–459.08 CRC per US$1 across the displayed observations. The vertical scale follows this range.
View dated observations
| Observation date | CRC per US$1 |
|---|---|
| Oct 6, 2026 | 458.58 |
| Oct 5, 2026 | 459.06 |
| Oct 4, 2026 | 459.08 |
| Oct 3, 2026 | 458.97 |
| Oct 2, 2026 | 459.01 |
| Oct 1, 2026 | 457.81 |
| Sep 30, 2026 | 455.94 |
| Sep 29, 2026 | 454.94 |
| Sep 28, 2026 | 453.55 |
| Sep 27, 2026 | 453.64 |
| Sep 26, 2026 | 454 |
| Sep 25, 2026 | 453.71 |
| Sep 24, 2026 | 453.9 |
| Sep 23, 2026 | 451.53 |
| Sep 22, 2026 | 447.26 |
| Sep 21, 2026 | 447.28 |
| Sep 20, 2026 | 447.86 |
| Sep 19, 2026 | 447.93 |
| Sep 18, 2026 | 447.74 |
| Sep 17, 2026 | 447.88 |
| Sep 16, 2026 | 447.23 |
| Sep 15, 2026 | 448.31 |
| Sep 14, 2026 | 449.81 |
| Sep 13, 2026 | 449.96 |
| Sep 12, 2026 | 451.14 |
| Sep 11, 2026 | 451.16 |
| Sep 10, 2026 | 451.73 |
| Sep 9, 2026 | 452.06 |
| Sep 8, 2026 | 451.96 |
| Sep 7, 2026 | 451.88 |
Daily references are not live execution prices. A check time does not change a source observation date.
CAPITAL MARKETS
Stock exchanges
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Official data & country reports
Research directories have their own coverage. A link is not a claim that every entity has an IMF report or a separate national statistical office.
SOURCES & DATES
Where the facts come from.
Editorial presentation by American Business Capital Group Inc. The organizations and archive links below are the underlying sources.
- Country reference
- CIA World Factbook · 2025 archive
- Archive retrieved
- Oct 6, 2026 · retrieval date, not an observation period
- Currency associations
- SIX / ISO 4217 currency registry ↗
- Rate observations
- Frankfurter / official reference providers ↗ · each observation is dated separately
- State classification
- UN member states ↗ · UN observer states ↗
- UN membership is shown separately from territory and currency coverage; inclusion is not a position on sovereignty or boundaries.
- CIA World Factbook text preserved by World Factbook Archive. Archive edition 2025; individual estimates retain their own dates. These are historical reference facts, not current observations.
About the editions. The CIA announced the end of its online World Factbook on February 4, 2026. Our historical profiles retain the archive editions shown above.
Skyhorse lists The CIA World Factbook 2026–2027, published April 7, 2026 (ISBN 9781510786042). That book’s full text has not been incorporated here; its edition title does not redate the imported archive. Archive distribution license.
Geography is a simplified reference. Displayed boundaries and entity inclusion do not express a position on sovereignty or disputed borders.