Greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Greenhouse gas emissions by sector was 5.67 million tonnes in 2023. ▬ Flat
Greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Costa Rica, 1990–2023
Source: Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
Costa Rica recorded 5.67 million tonnes for greenhouse gas emissions by sector in 2023. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 18.9% on the previous year and up 44.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Costa Rica peaked at 5.67 million tonnes in 2023 and was at its lowest, 3.16 million tonnes, in 2004.
Costa Rica ranks 107th of 193 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 5.16 million tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 5.17 million tonnes | +0.2% |
| 1992 | 5.11 million tonnes | -1.2% |
| 1993 | 5.07 million tonnes | -0.8% |
| 1994 | 4.68 million tonnes | -7.7% |
| 1995 | 4.19 million tonnes | -10.5% |
| 1996 | 4.19 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 4.16 million tonnes | -0.7% |
| 1998 | 4.21 million tonnes | +1.2% |
| 1999 | 3.89 million tonnes | -7.6% |
| 2000 | 3.69 million tonnes | -5.1% |
| 2001 | 3.48 million tonnes | -5.7% |
| 2002 | 3.36 million tonnes | -3.4% |
| 2003 | 3.37 million tonnes | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 3.16 million tonnes | -6.2% |
| 2005 | 3.32 million tonnes | +5.1% |
| 2006 | 3.26 million tonnes | -1.8% |
| 2007 | 3.53 million tonnes | +8.3% |
| 2008 | 3.75 million tonnes | +6.2% |
| 2009 | 3.59 million tonnes | -4.3% |
| 2010 | 3.73 million tonnes | +3.9% |
| 2011 | 4.00 million tonnes | +7.2% |
| 2012 | 3.85 million tonnes | -3.8% |
| 2013 | 3.92 million tonnes | +1.8% |
| 2014 | 3.79 million tonnes | -3.3% |
| 2015 | 3.90 million tonnes | +2.9% |
| 2016 | 4.17 million tonnes | +6.9% |
| 2017 | 4.27 million tonnes | +2.4% |
| 2018 | 4.50 million tonnes | +5.4% |
| 2019 | 4.59 million tonnes | +2.0% |
| 2020 | 4.18 million tonnes | -8.9% |
| 2021 | 5.53 million tonnes | +32.3% |
| 2022 | 4.77 million tonnes | -13.7% |
| 2023 | 5.67 million tonnes | +18.9% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 5.67 million tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 5.09 million tonnes, 1.1× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 5.67 million tonnes is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 5.67 million tonnes, 1.0× the median. (33 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 4.58 million tonnes | 3.89 million tonnes | 5.17 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.45 million tonnes | 3.16 million tonnes | 3.75 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.07 million tonnes | 3.73 million tonnes | 4.59 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.04 million tonnes | 4.18 million tonnes | 5.67 million tonnes | 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 greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Costa Rica?
- Greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Costa Rica was 5.67 million tonnes in 2023, according to Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest greenhouse gas emissions by sector recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 5.67 million tonnes in 2023.
- What is the lowest greenhouse gas emissions by sector recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.16 million tonnes in 2004.
- How does Costa Rica rank for greenhouse gas emissions by sector?
- Costa Rica ranks 107th out of 193 countries with data for 2023.
- Is greenhouse gas emissions by sector rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 44.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Greenhouse gas emissions by sector. 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
Emissions are measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalents.