Costa Rica vs Panama: Annual precipitation
Costa Rica
3,314 millimeters
in 2025
Panama
3,522 millimeters
in 2025
Costa Rica rank
8th
Panama rank
5th
Annual precipitation over time
- Costa Rica
- Panama
How they compare
Panama currently reports 3,522 millimeters against 3,314 millimeters in Costa Rica, a difference of 208 millimeters.
That makes Panama's figure about 1.1 times Costa Rica's.
The two have swapped places 34 times across 86 shared years of data; in 1940 it was Panama ahead.
Costa Rica ranks 8th and Panama ranks 5th of 192 countries.
Across the 9 decades both report, Costa Rica averaged higher in 8 and Panama in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | Panama | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 3,553 millimeters | 3,581 millimeters | 27.87 millimeters | Panama |
| 1950s | 3,482 millimeters | 3,476 millimeters | 6.66 millimeters | Costa Rica |
| 1960s | 3,230 millimeters | 2,981 millimeters | 248.97 millimeters | Costa Rica |
| 1970s | 3,689 millimeters | 3,573 millimeters | 115.65 millimeters | Costa Rica |
| 1980s | 3,132 millimeters | 3,089 millimeters | 42.36 millimeters | Costa Rica |
| 1990s | 3,233 millimeters | 3,125 millimeters | 107.84 millimeters | Costa Rica |
| 2000s | 3,487 millimeters | 3,253 millimeters | 233.92 millimeters | Costa Rica |
| 2010s | 3,403 millimeters | 3,188 millimeters | 214.82 millimeters | Costa Rica |
| 2020s | 3,447 millimeters | 3,318 millimeters | 129.63 millimeters | Costa Rica |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher annual precipitation, Costa Rica or Panama?
- Panama, at 3,522 millimeters against 3,314 millimeters in Costa Rica as of 2025.
- What is the difference in annual precipitation between Costa Rica and Panama?
- 208 millimeters, with Panama ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and Panama?
- 86 years are reported by both, from 1940 to 2025.
- How do Costa Rica and Panama rank globally for annual precipitation?
- Costa Rica ranks 8th and Panama ranks 5th of 192 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Annual precipitation. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Total annual precipitation—rain and snow—calculated as the sum of daily averages, reported as the depth of water falling to Earth's surface, excluding fog and dew.