Country profile ยท Latin America & Caribbean ยท HIC
๐จ๐ท Costa Rica
High income. Capital San Jose. Mid-pack GDP/cap (HIC ยท PEAK) across 42 World Bank / WHO / ILO measures.
- 5.1 million
- Population
- $96.7 billion
- GDP
- $18,853
- GDP / capita
- 81.0 years
- Life expectancy
Mid-pack GDP/cap ยท PEAK
Costa Rica ranks 74th of 217 by total GDP and 47th for life expectancy - a high income economy in Latin America & Caribbean.
- #74
- World GDP rank (of 217)
- $18,853
- GDP per capita
- #47
- Life-expectancy rank
- #126
- Population rank
Costa Rica sits in the middle third of GDP/cap (#76 of 214) as a HIC economy with PEAK longevity.
Costa Rica vs all countries by total GDP
Where this economy's World Bank total GDP sits among every country with a positive observation (inventory signal, not a virtue ranking)
$96,715,644,331 74th of 214 higher than 140 of 214 countries
Countries banded by World Bank total GDP (current US$)
Each bar is a $0.001K-wide band; taller bars hold more countries. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source World Bank, GDP (current US$) ยท 2026-08-14
Costa Rica on the global income map
Costa Rica (CRI) mid GDP/cap pack - GDP per capita ร life expectancy vs largest peers; gold rings = OECD.
- Costa Rica: GDP per capita $18,853 (2024), life expectancy 81.0 years (2024), high income, OECD member.
- India: GDP per capita $2,695 (2024), life expectancy 72.2 years (2024), lower-middle income.
- China: GDP per capita $13,303 (2024), life expectancy 78.0 years (2024), upper-middle income.
- United States: GDP per capita $84,534 (2024), life expectancy 78.9 years (2024), high income, OECD member.
- Indonesia: GDP per capita $4,925 (2024), life expectancy 71.3 years (2024), upper-middle income.
- Pakistan: GDP per capita $1,479 (2024), life expectancy 67.8 years (2024), lower-middle income.
- Nigeria: GDP per capita $1,084 (2024), life expectancy 54.6 years (2024), low income.
- Brazil: GDP per capita $10,311 (2024), life expectancy 76.0 years (2024), upper-middle income.
- Bangladesh: GDP per capita $2,593 (2024), life expectancy 74.9 years (2024), lower-middle income.
- Russian Federation: GDP per capita $14,889 (2024), life expectancy 73.4 years (2024), high income.
- Ethiopia: GDP per capita $1,134 (2024), life expectancy 67.6 years (2024), low income.
- Mexico: GDP per capita $14,186 (2024), life expectancy 75.3 years (2024), high income, OECD member.
- Japan: GDP per capita $32,487 (2024), life expectancy 84.0 years (2024), high income, OECD member.
- Egypt, Arab Rep.: GDP per capita $3,338 (2024), life expectancy 71.8 years (2024), lower-middle income.
- Philippines: GDP per capita $3,985 (2024), life expectancy 69.9 years (2024), lower-middle income.
- Congo, Dem. Rep.: GDP per capita $693 (2024), life expectancy 62.1 years (2024), low income.
- Viet Nam: GDP per capita $4,717 (2024), life expectancy 74.7 years (2024), upper-middle income.
- Iran, Islamic Rep.: GDP per capita $5,190 (2024), life expectancy 77.9 years (2024), upper-middle income.
- Turkiye: GDP per capita $15,893 (2024), life expectancy 77.4 years (2024), high income, OECD member.
- Germany: GDP per capita $56,104 (2024), life expectancy 80.8 years (2024), high income, OECD member.
- Thailand: GDP per capita $7,387 (2024), life expectancy 76.6 years (2024), upper-middle income.
- United Kingdom: GDP per capita $53,246 (2024), life expectancy 81.4 years (2024), high income, OECD member.
- Tanzania: GDP per capita $1,193 (2024), life expectancy 67.2 years (2024), lower-middle income.
- France: GDP per capita $46,103 (2024), life expectancy 83.0 years (2024), high income, OECD member.
- South Africa: GDP per capita $6,267 (2024), life expectancy 66.3 years (2024), upper-middle income.
- Italy: GDP per capita $40,385 (2024), life expectancy 84.0 years (2024), high income, OECD member.
- Kenya: GDP per capita $2,133 (2024), life expectancy 63.8 years (2024), lower-middle income.
- Myanmar: GDP per capita $1,359 (2024), life expectancy 67.1 years (2024), lower-middle income.
- Colombia: GDP per capita $7,951 (2024), life expectancy 77.9 years (2024), upper-middle income, OECD member.
- Korea, Rep.: GDP per capita $36,239 (2024), life expectancy 83.6 years (2024), high income, OECD member.
- Sudan: GDP per capita $985 (2024), life expectancy 66.5 years (2024), low income.
Overview
Costa Rica has a population of 5.1 million, making it the 126th-most populous country out of 217 tracked in Latin America & Caribbean.
Its economy totals $96.7 billion - ranked 74th globally by total GDP. GDP per capita stands at $18,853, placing it in the High income category.
Life expectancy at birth is 81.0 years (ranked 47th globally), reflecting overall health outcomes as measured by the World Bank.
The capital is San Jose.
๐ฅ Demographics
๐ฐ Economy
๐ฅ Health
๐ Education
๐ Environment
๐๏ธ Infrastructure
โ๏ธ Social
๐ Livability Score
One composite verdict from 5 of 5 World Bank series (life expectancy, under-5 mortality, electricity access, clean-water access, homicide rate), each benchmarked against every country tracking that series. A missing series never silently drags the score down: its weight redistributes across the series Costa Rica does report.
- Life expectancy: 20.3 of 63
- Under-5 mortality: 12.6 of 63
- Access to electricity: 18.0 of 63
- Access to clean water: 10.0 of 63
- Safety (homicide rate): 2.3 of 63
All indicators for Costa Rica
42 latest observations from World Bank WDI, WHO GHO, and ILO ILOSTAT (vintage through 2026-08-14). Values match the topic cards above; this table is the machine-readable export view analysts expect on a country profile.
๐ฅ Healthcare System
Costa Rica vs OECD average across 9 key health indicators. See full OECD rankings โ
Source: OECD Health Statistics 2025. OECD averages calculated across all reporting member countries. Data years vary by indicator.
๐ OECD Member Indicators
Costa Rica is one of 38 OECD member countries. Economic, labor, and inequality statistics from the OECD.
Sources: OECD.Stat (labor, inequality) and World Bank (GDP PPP). Data years vary by indicator.
๐ซ Disease Burden
Road-traffic deaths at 15.5 per 100,000 are Costa Rica's sharpest GHO outlier versus the fleet midpoint (12.3). Summary metrics use 2021 data; cause-specific cards show their own observation year.
Non-communicable Diseases
Injuries & External Causes
Sources: WHO Global Health Observatory. NCD mortality rate: 2021. Rates are age-standardized per 100,000 population. Premature NCD risk covers cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory disease.
Compare Costa Rica with near GDP/cap peers
Side-by-side pages for the closest ABS GDP/cap neighbours - not a full-roster dropdown.
Read with Costa Rica
Nearest GDP/cap peers and LE poles for Costa Rica (HIC ยท PEAK), replacing the old fixed guide and region clone strip.
HIC PEAK
Trinidad and Tobago ยท HIC
Trinidad and Tobago GDP/cap $18,733 is lower by $120 than Costa Rica; LE stamp LONG vs PEAK.
Panama ยท HIC
Panama GDP/cap $19,161 is higher by $308 than Costa Rica; LE stamp PEAK vs PEAK.
Seychelles ยท HIC
Seychelles GDP/cap $18,365 is lower by $489 than Costa Rica; LE stamp LONG vs PEAK.
Palau ยท HIC
Palau GDP/cap $18,169 is lower by $684 than Costa Rica; LE stamp MID vs PEAK.
Latin America & Caribbean WDI roster
Costa Rica stamps HIC ยท PEAK inside Latin America & Caribbean - open the region roster after the ABS peers.
GDP/cap leaderboard (#76)
Costa Rica ranks #76 of 214 on NY.GDP.PCAP.CD under the HIC Atlas band.
What the data says about Costa Rica
Every figure on this profile comes from a specific measurement methodology, and OECD member states like Costa Rica generally report the most complete and harmonized statistical series in this dataset: standardized definitions and cross-agency reconciliation between the World Bank, OECD, and WHO reduce, though never eliminate, the gaps that show up elsewhere. With a comparatively small population, Costa Rica's national totals can move sharply on the back of a handful of large transactions or a single policy change, so year-over-year swings deserve more scrutiny here than they would in a larger economy. Reading several indicators side by side, rather than anchoring on one number, is the more reliable way to build a grounded picture of how people in Costa Rica actually live, work, and age.
Costa Rica sits in the middle third of GDP/cap (#76 of 214) as a HIC economy with PEAK longevity.
Costa Rica holds 5.1 million people and $96.7 billion GDP (74th) at $18,853 per person - mid GDP/cap band, HIC, LE 81.0 years (47th, PEAK). 42 WDI/WHO/ILO cells fill the topic blocks.
Nearest ABS GDP/cap peer: Trinidad and Tobago at $18,733 (ฮ $120). Open that profile or the GDP/cap leaderboard before treating any single year as destiny.
What to do with Costa Rica's numbers
Costa Rica is classified HIC with PEAK. Use that context before comparing any single figure to another country.
- Compare Costa Rica directly against any other country, side by side, on the indicators that matter to you. Compare countries
- See exactly where Costa Rica ranks among all 217 tracked countries on a specific indicator, not just the ones shown here. Indicator rank finder
- Learn the common mistakes people make citing country statistics before you quote a number from this page. Reading country profiles
Figures above are sourced from World Bank, WHO, and ILO (OECD where applicable) as cited below; always verify against the primary source before citing a specific number.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does the data for Costa Rica come from?
Data for Costa Rica is sourced from four official datasets: the World Bank Open Data catalog, WHO Global Health Observatory, ILO ILOSTAT (for average wages and working hours), and OECD.Stat (for OECD-specific indicators such as health expenditure per capita, income inequality, and harmonized unemployment rates).
How current is the data for Costa Rica?
OECD-member series for Costa Rica are the most recently reconciled in this corpus (often the same year as the GHO summary). Non-OECD WDI cells still print their own year in the topic table.
Can I compare Costa Rica with other countries?
Start with the nearest GDP/cap peer (Trinidad and Tobago, ฮ $120), then the GDP/cap leaderboard. Incomplete compare URLs 404 rather than dumping you on a hub.
What does GDP per capita tell us about Costa Rica?
Costa Rica's total output divided by its population, in current US dollars - an approximate read on average economic productivity per person. See our methodology page for the PPP-adjustment caveats.
How does Costa Rica's life expectancy compare to the global average?
81.0 years, ranking 47th of 217 countries tracked - against a global average near 73 years.
Does PlainCountries cover visa or travel information for Costa Rica?
No - PlainCountries covers development and health indicators only. For immigration policy or flight routes, consult the relevant national authority or the ICAO/IATA route registries directly.
Costa Rica's figures are rendered directly from World Bank, WHO, and ILO data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-14. Primary sources: World Bank Open Data, WHO Global Health Observatory and ILO ILOSTAT.