Greenhouse gas emissions in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Greenhouse gas emissions was 14.98 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
14.98 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
Change on year
up 1.0%
World rank
135th
of 199 countries
All-time high
60.29 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 1972
All-time low
2.40 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 1857
Years of data
175
1850–2024
Greenhouse gas emissions in Costa Rica, 1850–2024
Source: Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes of CO₂ equivalents.
Analysis
The most recent figure for greenhouse gas emissions in Costa Rica is 14.98 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.0% on the previous year and down 9.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, greenhouse gas emissions in Costa Rica peaked at 60.29 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 1972 and was at its lowest, 2.40 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, in 1857.
That places Costa Rica 135th out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 2.50 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.40 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.66 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1860s | 3.56 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.07 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 4.03 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1870s | 4.64 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 4.12 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 4.94 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1880s | 4.91 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 4.73 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5.04 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1890s | 6.56 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5.60 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 7.22 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1900s | 7.56 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 7.05 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 8.44 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1910s | 8.52 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 7.57 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 9.36 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1920s | 7.56 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 6.90 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 8.93 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1930s | 15.29 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 9.68 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 19.47 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1940s | 26.10 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 22.09 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 28.30 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1950s | 31.55 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 25.77 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 42.52 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1960s | 32.42 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 21.53 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 41.10 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1970s | 46.26 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 24.49 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 60.29 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1980s | 30.93 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 12.86 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 57.62 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1990s | 14.70 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 13.07 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 19.87 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2000s | 16.12 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 12.81 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 19.72 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.18 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 16.02 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 18.32 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2020s | 14.41 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 13.89 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 14.98 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
- 132 Slovenia 18.11 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 133 Namibia 17.76 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 134 Sierra Leone 16.29 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 136 Brunei 14.96 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 137 Latvia 13.86 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 138 Guyana 13.39 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
More climate change data for Costa Rica
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.0% (2100)
- Population growth 0.4% (2025)
- Population, total 5.15 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 1.0% (2025)
- Urban population 4.11 million (2025)
- Urban population 79.7% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 1.71 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 285.80 million tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 1.71 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 1.71 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is greenhouse gas emissions in Costa Rica?
- Greenhouse gas emissions in Costa Rica was 14.98 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024, according to Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest greenhouse gas emissions recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 60.29 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 1972.
- What is the lowest greenhouse gas emissions recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.40 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 1857.
- How does Costa Rica rank for greenhouse gas emissions?
- Costa Rica ranks 135th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is greenhouse gas emissions rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Greenhouse gas emissions. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 175 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Greenhouse gas emissions are measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalents over a 100-year timescale.