Per capita consumption-based CO₂ emissions in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Per capita consumption-based CO₂ emissions was 2.88 tonnes per person in 2023. ▲ Rising
Per capita consumption-based CO₂ emissions in Costa Rica, 1990–2023
Source: Global Carbon Budget (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes per person.
Analysis
The most recent figure for per capita consumption-based co₂ emissions in Costa Rica is 2.88 tonnes per person, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of down 0.2% on the previous year and up 2.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, per capita consumption-based co₂ emissions in Costa Rica peaked at 3.12 tonnes per person in 2008 and was at its lowest, 1.56 tonnes per person, in 1990.
Costa Rica ranks 73rd of 120 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Per capita consumption-based CO₂ emissions in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | tonnes per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 1.56 tonnes per person | — |
| 1991 | 1.58 tonnes per person | +1.4% |
| 1992 | 1.71 tonnes per person | +8.4% |
| 1993 | 1.66 tonnes per person | -3.0% |
| 1994 | 1.92 tonnes per person | +15.5% |
| 1995 | 1.84 tonnes per person | -4.0% |
| 1996 | 1.7 tonnes per person | -7.6% |
| 1997 | 1.94 tonnes per person | +13.8% |
| 1998 | 1.96 tonnes per person | +1.1% |
| 1999 | 1.99 tonnes per person | +1.4% |
| 2000 | 2.1 tonnes per person | +5.8% |
| 2001 | 2.1 tonnes per person | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 2.84 tonnes per person | +35.5% |
| 2003 | 2.52 tonnes per person | -11.3% |
| 2004 | 2.5 tonnes per person | -0.7% |
| 2005 | 2.51 tonnes per person | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 2.71 tonnes per person | +8.2% |
| 2007 | 3 tonnes per person | +10.7% |
| 2008 | 3.12 tonnes per person | +4.0% |
| 2009 | 2.5 tonnes per person | -20.0% |
| 2010 | 2.61 tonnes per person | +4.6% |
| 2011 | 2.83 tonnes per person | +8.2% |
| 2012 | 2.78 tonnes per person | -1.7% |
| 2013 | 2.81 tonnes per person | +1.2% |
| 2014 | 2.78 tonnes per person | -1.0% |
| 2015 | 2.74 tonnes per person | -1.7% |
| 2016 | 2.86 tonnes per person | +4.6% |
| 2017 | 2.92 tonnes per person | +1.9% |
| 2018 | 2.97 tonnes per person | +1.8% |
| 2019 | 2.87 tonnes per person | -3.3% |
| 2020 | 2.44 tonnes per person | -14.8% |
| 2021 | 2.77 tonnes per person | +13.3% |
| 2022 | 2.88 tonnes per person | +4.2% |
| 2023 | 2.88 tonnes per person | -0.2% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 2.88 tonnes per person is below the median for high income countries, which is 8.42 tonnes per person, 34% of the median. (52 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 2.88 tonnes per person is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 2.8 tonnes per person, 1.0× the median. (20 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Per capita consumption-based CO₂ emissions in Costa Rica changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | +35.5% | 2.1 tonnes per person | 2.84 tonnes per person |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.79 tonnes per person | 1.56 tonnes per person | 1.99 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.59 tonnes per person | 2.1 tonnes per person | 3.12 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.82 tonnes per person | 2.61 tonnes per person | 2.97 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.74 tonnes per person | 2.44 tonnes per person | 2.88 tonnes per person | 4 |
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 per capita consumption-based co₂ emissions in Costa Rica?
- Per capita consumption-based co₂ emissions in Costa Rica was 2.88 tonnes per person in 2023, according to Global Carbon Budget (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest per capita consumption-based co₂ emissions recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 3.12 tonnes per person in 2008.
- What is the lowest per capita consumption-based co₂ emissions recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.56 tonnes per person in 1990.
- How does Costa Rica rank for per capita consumption-based co₂ emissions?
- Costa Rica ranks 73rd out of 120 countries with data for 2023.
- Is per capita consumption-based co₂ emissions rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from Global Carbon Budget (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Per capita consumption-based CO₂ emissions. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Annual consumption-based emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂), measured in tonnes per person.