Urban population, per square kilometre in Costa Rica

Costa Rica: Urban population, per square kilometre was 78.87 units per square kilometre in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
78.87 units per square kilometre
Change on year
up 1.0%
World rank
82nd
of 216 countries
All-time high
78.87 units per square kilometre
in 2023
All-time low
9.24 units per square kilometre
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023

Urban population, per square kilometre in Costa Rica, 1961–2023

020406080196119922023

Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in units per square kilometre.

Analysis

Costa Rica recorded 78.87 units per square kilometre for urban population, per square kilometre in 2023. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.0% on the previous year and up 15.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, urban population, per square kilometre in Costa Rica peaked at 78.87 units per square kilometre in 2023 and was at its lowest, 9.24 units per square kilometre, in 1961.

That places Costa Rica 82nd out of 216 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Urban population, per square kilometre in Costa Rica, year by year

Annual values for Urban population, per square kilometre in Costa Rica, 1961 to 2023.
Year units per square kilometre Change
1961 9.24 units per square kilometre
1962 9.62 units per square kilometre +4.1%
1963 10.01 units per square kilometre +4.1%
1964 10.44 units per square kilometre +4.3%
1965 10.94 units per square kilometre +4.7%
1966 11.49 units per square kilometre +5.0%
1967 12.08 units per square kilometre +5.1%
1968 12.69 units per square kilometre +5.1%
1969 13.33 units per square kilometre +5.0%
1970 13.98 units per square kilometre +4.9%
1971 14.62 units per square kilometre +4.6%
1972 15.25 units per square kilometre +4.3%
1973 15.84 units per square kilometre +3.9%
1974 16.41 units per square kilometre +3.6%
1975 16.98 units per square kilometre +3.5%
1976 17.56 units per square kilometre +3.4%
1977 18.16 units per square kilometre +3.4%
1978 18.77 units per square kilometre +3.4%
1979 19.41 units per square kilometre +3.4%
1980 20.08 units per square kilometre +3.5%
1981 20.79 units per square kilometre +3.5%
1982 21.53 units per square kilometre +3.6%
1983 22.33 units per square kilometre +3.7%
1984 23.18 units per square kilometre +3.8%
1985 24.1 units per square kilometre +4.0%
1986 25.09 units per square kilometre +4.1%
1987 26.14 units per square kilometre +4.2%
1988 27.26 units per square kilometre +4.3%
1989 28.44 units per square kilometre +4.3%
1990 29.7 units per square kilometre +4.4%
1991 31.05 units per square kilometre +4.5%
1992 32.47 units per square kilometre +4.6%
1993 33.96 units per square kilometre +4.6%
1994 35.5 units per square kilometre +4.6%
1995 37.11 units per square kilometre +4.5%
1996 38.75 units per square kilometre +4.4%
1997 40.43 units per square kilometre +4.3%
1998 42.13 units per square kilometre +4.2%
1999 43.84 units per square kilometre +4.1%
2000 45.54 units per square kilometre +3.9%
2001 47.22 units per square kilometre +3.7%
2002 48.91 units per square kilometre +3.6%
2003 50.62 units per square kilometre +3.5%
2004 52.36 units per square kilometre +3.4%
2005 54.16 units per square kilometre +3.4%
2006 56 units per square kilometre +3.4%
2007 57.88 units per square kilometre +3.4%
2008 59.82 units per square kilometre +3.4%
2009 61.81 units per square kilometre +3.3%
2010 63.8 units per square kilometre +3.2%
2011 65.76 units per square kilometre +3.1%
2012 67.04 units per square kilometre +1.9%
2013 68.3 units per square kilometre +1.9%
2014 69.54 units per square kilometre +1.8%
2015 70.79 units per square kilometre +1.8%
2016 72.01 units per square kilometre +1.7%
2017 73.18 units per square kilometre +1.6%
2018 74.33 units per square kilometre +1.6%
2019 75.44 units per square kilometre +1.5%
2020 76.43 units per square kilometre +1.3%
2021 77.28 units per square kilometre +1.1%
2022 78.07 units per square kilometre +1.0%
2023 78.87 units per square kilometre +1.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 11.09 units per square kilometre 9.24 units per square kilometre 13.33 units per square kilometre 9
1970s 16.7 units per square kilometre 13.98 units per square kilometre 19.41 units per square kilometre 10
1980s 23.89 units per square kilometre 20.08 units per square kilometre 28.44 units per square kilometre 10
1990s 36.49 units per square kilometre 29.7 units per square kilometre 43.84 units per square kilometre 10
2000s 53.43 units per square kilometre 45.54 units per square kilometre 61.81 units per square kilometre 10
2010s 70.02 units per square kilometre 63.8 units per square kilometre 75.44 units per square kilometre 10
2020s 77.66 units per square kilometre 76.43 units per square kilometre 78.87 units per square kilometre 4

Countries ranked near Costa Rica

  1. 79 Thailand 85.52 units per square kilometre compare
  2. 80 Cuba 81.88 units per square kilometre compare
  3. 81 Malaysia 81.73 units per square kilometre compare
  4. 83 Spain 77.54 units per square kilometre compare
  5. 84 Isle of Man 77.05 units per square kilometre compare
  6. 85 Austria 76.61 units per square kilometre compare

See the full ranking of 264 places →

More climate change data for Costa Rica

All data for Costa Rica →

Frequently asked questions

What is urban population, per square kilometre in Costa Rica?
Urban population, per square kilometre in Costa Rica was 78.87 units per square kilometre in 2023, according to Statizoid (derived).
What is the highest urban population, per square kilometre recorded in Costa Rica?
The highest recorded value was 78.87 units per square kilometre in 2023.
What is the lowest urban population, per square kilometre recorded in Costa Rica?
The lowest recorded value was 9.24 units per square kilometre in 1961.
How does Costa Rica rank for urban population, per square kilometre?
Costa Rica ranks 82nd out of 216 countries with data for 2023.
Is urban population, per square kilometre rising or falling in Costa Rica?
Over the last ten years it is up 15.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Urban population, per square kilometre. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Urban population, per square kilometre in Costa Rica. Statizoid, drawing on Statizoid (derived). Retrieved 14 September 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/urban-population-per-square-kilometre/costa-rica/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page; please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/urban-population-per-square-kilometre/costa-rica/">Urban population, per square kilometre in Costa Rica</a> — Statizoid

How this figure is calculated

Urban population divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.

Urban population ÷ Land area (sq. km)

Computed from

Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.

About this data

Indicator
Urban population, per square kilometre
Unit
units per square kilometre
Source
Statizoid (derived)
Licence
Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page
Coverage
264 places, 15,342 data points, 1961–2023
Last refreshed

Urban population divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.