Costa Rica vs Mexico: Urban population (% of total population)
Costa Rica
79.7%
in 2025
Mexico
80.0%
in 2025
Costa Rica rank
59th
Mexico rank
58th
Urban population (% of total population) over time
- Costa Rica
- Mexico
How they compare
Mexico currently reports 80.0% against 79.7% in Costa Rica, a difference of 0.3%.
Across all 66 years both countries report, Mexico has been ahead every year.
Costa Rica ranks 59th and Mexico ranks 58th of 218 countries.
Mexico has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | Mexico | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 35.5% | 54.5% | 19.0% | Mexico |
| 1970s | 41.0% | 62.5% | 21.4% | Mexico |
| 1980s | 44.9% | 68.8% | 23.9% | Mexico |
| 1990s | 53.1% | 73.1% | 19.9% | Mexico |
| 2000s | 64.4% | 76.1% | 11.7% | Mexico |
| 2010s | 74.6% | 77.2% | 2.6% | Mexico |
| 2020s | 78.6% | 79.3% | 0.7% | Mexico |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher urban population, Costa Rica or Mexico?
- Mexico, at 80.0% against 79.7% in Costa Rica as of 2025.
- What is the difference in urban population between Costa Rica and Mexico?
- 0.3%, with Mexico ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and Mexico?
- 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
- How do Costa Rica and Mexico rank globally for urban population?
- Costa Rica ranks 59th and Mexico ranks 58th of 218 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as Urban population (% of total population). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. The data are collected and smoothed by United Nations Population Division.