Urban population in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Urban population was 79.7% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Urban population in Costa Rica, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for urban population in Costa Rica is 79.7%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 6.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Costa Rica peaked at 79.7% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 34.1%, in 1960.
Costa Rica ranks 59th of 217 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Urban population in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 34.1% | — |
| 1961 | 34.2% | +0.3% |
| 1962 | 34.3% | +0.4% |
| 1963 | 34.5% | +0.4% |
| 1964 | 34.8% | +0.8% |
| 1965 | 35.2% | +1.3% |
| 1966 | 35.8% | +1.7% |
| 1967 | 36.5% | +1.9% |
| 1968 | 37.3% | +2.1% |
| 1969 | 38.0% | +2.1% |
| 1970 | 38.8% | +2.0% |
| 1971 | 39.5% | +1.9% |
| 1972 | 40.2% | +1.6% |
| 1973 | 40.7% | +1.2% |
| 1974 | 41.1% | +1.0% |
| 1975 | 41.4% | +0.9% |
| 1976 | 41.7% | +0.8% |
| 1977 | 42.0% | +0.7% |
| 1978 | 42.3% | +0.7% |
| 1979 | 42.6% | +0.7% |
| 1980 | 42.9% | +0.7% |
| 1981 | 43.2% | +0.7% |
| 1982 | 43.5% | +0.8% |
| 1983 | 43.9% | +0.9% |
| 1984 | 44.4% | +1.0% |
| 1985 | 44.9% | +1.1% |
| 1986 | 45.5% | +1.3% |
| 1987 | 46.1% | +1.5% |
| 1988 | 46.9% | +1.6% |
| 1989 | 47.7% | +1.7% |
| 1990 | 48.6% | +1.8% |
| 1991 | 49.5% | +1.9% |
| 1992 | 50.5% | +2.0% |
| 1993 | 51.5% | +2.0% |
| 1994 | 52.5% | +2.0% |
| 1995 | 53.6% | +2.0% |
| 1996 | 54.7% | +2.0% |
| 1997 | 55.8% | +2.0% |
| 1998 | 56.9% | +2.0% |
| 1999 | 58.0% | +1.9% |
| 2000 | 59.0% | +1.9% |
| 2001 | 60.1% | +1.9% |
| 2002 | 61.3% | +1.9% |
| 2003 | 62.5% | +1.9% |
| 2004 | 63.7% | +1.9% |
| 2005 | 64.9% | +1.9% |
| 2006 | 66.2% | +2.0% |
| 2007 | 67.5% | +2.0% |
| 2008 | 68.8% | +2.0% |
| 2009 | 70.1% | +2.0% |
| 2010 | 71.5% | +2.0% |
| 2011 | 72.8% | +1.9% |
| 2012 | 73.4% | +0.8% |
| 2013 | 73.9% | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 74.5% | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 75.0% | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 75.5% | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 76.1% | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 76.6% | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 77.0% | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 77.5% | +0.6% |
| 2021 | 78.0% | +0.6% |
| 2022 | 78.4% | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 78.9% | +0.6% |
| 2024 | 79.3% | +0.5% |
| 2025 | 79.7% | +0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 35.5% | 34.1% | 38.0% | 10 |
| 1970s | 41.0% | 38.8% | 42.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 44.9% | 42.9% | 47.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 53.1% | 48.6% | 58.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 64.4% | 59.0% | 70.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 74.6% | 71.5% | 77.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 78.6% | 77.5% | 79.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
More climate change data for Costa Rica
- 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)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 2.34 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population in Costa Rica?
- Urban population in Costa Rica was 79.7% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 79.7% in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 34.1% in 1960.
- How does Costa Rica rank for urban population?
- Costa Rica ranks 59th out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. The data are collected and smoothed by United Nations Population Division.