Costa Rica vs Panama: Population, total
Costa Rica
5.15 million
in 2025
Panama
4.57 million
in 2025
Costa Rica rank
126th
Panama rank
128th
Population, total over time
- Costa Rica
- Panama
How they compare
Costa Rica currently reports 5.15 million against 4.57 million in Panama, a difference of 581,760.
That makes Costa Rica's figure about 1.1 times Panama's.
Across all 66 years both countries report, Costa Rica has been ahead every year.
Costa Rica ranks 126th and Panama ranks 128th of 215 countries.
Costa Rica has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | Panama | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.56 million | 1.29 million | 266,373 | Costa Rica |
| 1970s | 2.07 million | 1.71 million | 362,101 | Costa Rica |
| 1980s | 2.71 million | 2.18 million | 532,158 | Costa Rica |
| 1990s | 3.49 million | 2.70 million | 793,049 | Costa Rica |
| 2000s | 4.23 million | 3.28 million | 942,314 | Costa Rica |
| 2010s | 4.79 million | 3.93 million | 857,945 | Costa Rica |
| 2020s | 5.09 million | 4.43 million | 663,248 | Costa Rica |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher population, total, Costa Rica or Panama?
- Costa Rica, at 5.15 million against 4.57 million in Panama as of 2025.
- What is the difference in population, total between Costa Rica and Panama?
- 581,760, with Costa Rica ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and Panama?
- 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
- How do Costa Rica and Panama rank globally for population, total?
- Costa Rica ranks 126th and Panama ranks 128th of 215 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as Population, total. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
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.