Annual precipitation in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Annual precipitation was 3,314 millimeters in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
3,314 millimeters
Change on year
down 13.6%
World rank
8th
of 192 countries
All-time high
4,909 millimeters
in 2010
All-time low
2,411 millimeters
in 1959
Years of data
86
1940–2025
Annual precipitation in Costa Rica, 1940–2025
Source: Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in millimeters.
Analysis
Costa Rica recorded 3,314 millimeters for annual precipitation in 2025.
The figure is down 13.6% on the previous year and up 13.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual precipitation in Costa Rica peaked at 4,909 millimeters in 2010 and was at its lowest, 2,411 millimeters, in 1959.
Costa Rica ranks 8th of 192 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
Annual precipitation in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | millimeters | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1940 | 2,765 millimeters | — |
| 1941 | 2,881 millimeters | +4.2% |
| 1942 | 4,021 millimeters | +39.5% |
| 1943 | 3,622 millimeters | -9.9% |
| 1944 | 4,209 millimeters | +16.2% |
| 1945 | 3,659 millimeters | -13.1% |
| 1946 | 3,233 millimeters | -11.6% |
| 1947 | 3,175 millimeters | -1.8% |
| 1948 | 4,187 millimeters | +31.9% |
| 1949 | 3,783 millimeters | -9.6% |
| 1950 | 4,037 millimeters | +6.7% |
| 1951 | 3,394 millimeters | -15.9% |
| 1952 | 3,297 millimeters | -2.9% |
| 1953 | 3,404 millimeters | +3.3% |
| 1954 | 3,581 millimeters | +5.2% |
| 1955 | 4,165 millimeters | +16.3% |
| 1956 | 4,023 millimeters | -3.4% |
| 1957 | 2,869 millimeters | -28.7% |
| 1958 | 3,644 millimeters | +27.0% |
| 1959 | 2,411 millimeters | -33.8% |
| 1960 | 2,936 millimeters | +21.8% |
| 1961 | 2,589 millimeters | -11.8% |
| 1962 | 3,383 millimeters | +30.6% |
| 1963 | 3,196 millimeters | -5.5% |
| 1964 | 2,907 millimeters | -9.0% |
| 1965 | 3,133 millimeters | +7.7% |
| 1966 | 3,486 millimeters | +11.3% |
| 1967 | 3,255 millimeters | -6.6% |
| 1968 | 3,418 millimeters | +5.0% |
| 1969 | 4,001 millimeters | +17.1% |
| 1970 | 4,504 millimeters | +12.6% |
| 1971 | 3,784 millimeters | -16.0% |
| 1972 | 3,419 millimeters | -9.6% |
| 1973 | 4,162 millimeters | +21.7% |
| 1974 | 3,576 millimeters | -14.1% |
| 1975 | 4,121 millimeters | +15.2% |
| 1976 | 3,160 millimeters | -23.3% |
| 1977 | 2,957 millimeters | -6.4% |
| 1978 | 3,536 millimeters | +19.6% |
| 1979 | 3,670 millimeters | +3.8% |
| 1980 | 3,314 millimeters | -9.7% |
| 1981 | 3,794 millimeters | +14.5% |
| 1982 | 2,943 millimeters | -22.4% |
| 1983 | 2,749 millimeters | -6.6% |
| 1984 | 2,989 millimeters | +8.7% |
| 1985 | 2,927 millimeters | -2.1% |
| 1986 | 3,062 millimeters | +4.6% |
| 1987 | 3,117 millimeters | +1.8% |
| 1988 | 3,513 millimeters | +12.7% |
| 1989 | 2,907 millimeters | -17.2% |
| 1990 | 3,154 millimeters | +8.5% |
| 1991 | 2,760 millimeters | -12.5% |
| 1992 | 2,702 millimeters | -2.1% |
| 1993 | 3,303 millimeters | +22.2% |
| 1994 | 2,688 millimeters | -18.6% |
| 1995 | 3,966 millimeters | +47.6% |
| 1996 | 3,772 millimeters | -4.9% |
| 1997 | 2,667 millimeters | -29.3% |
| 1998 | 3,387 millimeters | +27.0% |
| 1999 | 3,928 millimeters | +16.0% |
| 2000 | 3,385 millimeters | -13.8% |
| 2001 | 3,357 millimeters | -0.8% |
| 2002 | 3,174 millimeters | -5.5% |
| 2003 | 3,509 millimeters | +10.6% |
| 2004 | 3,671 millimeters | +4.6% |
| 2005 | 3,457 millimeters | -5.9% |
| 2006 | 3,110 millimeters | -10.0% |
| 2007 | 3,813 millimeters | +22.6% |
| 2008 | 4,025 millimeters | +5.6% |
| 2009 | 3,367 millimeters | -16.3% |
| 2010 | 4,909 millimeters | +45.8% |
| 2011 | 3,700 millimeters | -24.6% |
| 2012 | 3,080 millimeters | -16.7% |
| 2013 | 3,171 millimeters | +2.9% |
| 2014 | 3,259 millimeters | +2.8% |
| 2015 | 2,925 millimeters | -10.2% |
| 2016 | 3,430 millimeters | +17.2% |
| 2017 | 3,551 millimeters | +3.5% |
| 2018 | 3,093 millimeters | -12.9% |
| 2019 | 2,912 millimeters | -5.9% |
| 2020 | 3,651 millimeters | +25.4% |
| 2021 | 3,248 millimeters | -11.0% |
| 2022 | 3,722 millimeters | +14.6% |
| 2023 | 2,912 millimeters | -21.8% |
| 2024 | 3,837 millimeters | +31.8% |
| 2025 | 3,314 millimeters | -13.6% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 3,314 millimeters is above the median for high income countries, which is 891.63 millimeters, 3.7× the median. (65 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 3,314 millimeters is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 1,391 millimeters, 2.4× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 3,553 millimeters | 2,765 millimeters | 4,209 millimeters | 10 |
| 1950s | 3,482 millimeters | 2,411 millimeters | 4,165 millimeters | 10 |
| 1960s | 3,230 millimeters | 2,589 millimeters | 4,001 millimeters | 10 |
| 1970s | 3,689 millimeters | 2,957 millimeters | 4,504 millimeters | 10 |
| 1980s | 3,132 millimeters | 2,749 millimeters | 3,794 millimeters | 10 |
| 1990s | 3,233 millimeters | 2,667 millimeters | 3,966 millimeters | 10 |
| 2000s | 3,487 millimeters | 3,110 millimeters | 4,025 millimeters | 10 |
| 2010s | 3,403 millimeters | 2,912 millimeters | 4,909 millimeters | 10 |
| 2020s | 3,447 millimeters | 2,912 millimeters | 3,837 millimeters | 6 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
More climate change data for Costa Rica
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 108.28 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 3,751 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 942.79 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 2,808 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 3.56 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 100.29 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 688.78 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 623.33 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 65.45 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 2.35 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual precipitation in Costa Rica?
- Annual precipitation in Costa Rica was 3,314 millimeters in 2025, according to Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual precipitation recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 4,909 millimeters in 2010.
- What is the lowest annual precipitation recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 2,411 millimeters in 1959.
- How does Costa Rica rank for annual precipitation?
- Costa Rica ranks 8th out of 192 countries with data for 2025.
- Is annual precipitation rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual precipitation. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 86 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
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.