Costa Rica at its true size
Costa Rica covers 51,180 km², number 126 of 194 countries by area. Home to 5,152,950 people (2025). Sitting near the equator, it is one of the few places Mercator gets almost right.
Equal-area projection · Natural Earth 50m
| Area | 51,180 km² Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Population | 5,152,950 World Bank, 2025 |
| Density | 101 per km² |
| Capital | San Jose |
| Local time in San Jose | |
| Time zone | UTC−6 IANA |
| Currency | Costa Rican colón (CRC) Wikidata |
| Languages | Spanish |
| Traffic | On the right |
| Region | Central America, North America |
| Status | Independent state |
| Member of | OECD |
| Coast | Has a coastline |
| Calling code | +506 |
| Codes | CR · CRI · 188 |
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Where Costa Rica ranks
Among the independent states, in 43 rankings. Each links to its table.
People
- Population#125 of 1945.2 million people#11 of 23 in North America
- Population density#88 of 194101 people per km²#13 of 23 in North America
- Urban population#43 of 19280% urban#5 of 23 in North America
- Fertility rate#168 of 1921.32 births per woman#22 of 23 in North America
- Population growth#133 of 192+0.45% a year#12 of 23 in North America
- Birth rate#140 of 19210.0 births per 1,000 people#21 of 23 in North America
- Death rate#154 of 1925.6 deaths per 1,000 people#18 of 23 in North America
- Children under 15#124 of 19218.3% under 15#12 of 23 in North America
- People over 65#63 of 19212.8% aged 65 and over#7 of 23 in North America
- Net migration#68 of 192+0.2 per 1,000 people#8 of 23 in North America
- Refugees abroad#126 of 1900.07 refugees abroad per 1,000 people#21 of 23 in North America
Health & education
Economy
- GNI per capita#59 of 185$17,930 a person#9 of 22 in North America
- Internet users#72 of 18487% online#6 of 23 in North America
- GDP per capita (PPP)#65 of 184$33,815 a person#8 of 22 in North America
- GDP growth#51 of 187+4.6% a year#3 of 23 in North America
- Inflation#164 of 176−0.1% a year#21 of 22 in North America
- Unemployment#60 of 1786.8% of the labour force#8 of 19 in North America
- Extreme poverty#92 of 1490.8% under $3.00 a day#10 of 14 in North America
- Income inequality (Gini)#14 of 149a Gini index of 45.5#3 of 14 in North America
- Jobs in agriculture#103 of 17811.5% of jobs#10 of 19 in North America
- Jobs in industry#98 of 17818.5% of jobs#10 of 19 in North America
- Jobs in services#52 of 17870.0% of jobs#8 of 19 in North America
- Foreign investment#34 of 1845.4% of GDP#7 of 23 in North America
- Exports#77 of 16838.8% of GDP#7 of 15 in North America
- Military spending#153 of 1550.0% of GDP#13 of 14 in North America
- Mobile subscriptions#42 of 191136 subscriptions per 100 people#4 of 23 in North America
Energy & environment
- CO₂ per person#110 of 1851.63 tonnes a person#14 of 23 in North America
- Forest area#28 of 19259% forest#4 of 23 in North America
- Renewable energy#72 of 19034.2% renewable#5 of 23 in North America
- Access to electricity#103 of 19299.8% with electricity#12 of 23 in North America
- Air pollution (PM2.5)#99 of 19117.7 µg/m³#6 of 23 in North America
- Protected land#49 of 19126.6% of the land protected#5 of 23 in North America
- Arable land#146 of 1903.3% of the land arable#22 of 23 in North America
- Water stress#112 of 1765.9% of its available fresh water#16 of 22 in North America
- Precipitation#6 of 1802,926 mm a year#2 of 23 in North America
Governance & safety
Countries of a similar size
Every country within 25% of Costa Rica’s area, lit up on the map →
- Bosnia and Herzegovina1.0×Costa Rica and Bosnia and Herzegovina are almost exactly the same size.
- Slovakia1.04×Costa Rica is 4% larger than Slovakia.
- Dominican Republic1.05×Costa Rica is 5% larger than Dominican Republic.
- Croatia0.9×Costa Rica is 10% smaller than Croatia.
- Togo0.9×Costa Rica is 10% smaller than Togo.
- Estonia1.13×Costa Rica is 13% larger than Estonia.
How many times does Costa Rica fit into…
- Russia: about 334 times
- Canada: about 195 times
- United States: about 192 times
The land itself
Rivers, summits and lakes Costa Rica shares with the rest of the world. Turn on “Rivers & lakes” and “Physical names” in the atlas to see them on the map.
Summits
- Cerro Chirripó3,820 m
Rivers are listed by the published length of their whole course, not the part inside Costa Rica. Figures from Wikidata, features from Natural Earth.
Neighbours
Questions about Costa Rica
- How big is Costa Rica?
- Costa Rica covers 51,180 km², which makes it number 126 of 194 countries by area. About 5,152,950 people live there (2025), 101 per km².
- Is Costa Rica bigger than Bosnia and Herzegovina?
- Costa Rica and Bosnia and Herzegovina are almost exactly the same size. Costa Rica: 51,180 km²; Bosnia and Herzegovina: 51,209 km².
- How much does the Mercator map distort Costa Rica?
- Costa Rica lies close to the equator, so Mercator draws it at nearly its true size. It is the countries far from the equator that Mercator inflates.
- Which countries border Costa Rica?
- Costa Rica shares a land border with Nicaragua, Panama.