Bosnia and Herzegovina vs Costa Rica
Bosnia and Herzegovina and Costa Rica are almost exactly the same size.
Bosnia and HerzegovinaCosta RicaBosnia and Herzegovina moved onto Costa Rica · Equal-area projection
1.0×
Bosnia and Herzegovina is 1.0× the area of Costa Rica.
 Bosnia and Herzegovina |  Costa Rica | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaAbout the same area | 51,209 km²#125 of 194 | 51,180 km²#126 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 3 | 2 |
| People | ||
| PopulationCosta Rica: 1.64× the population | 3,140,095#133 of 194 · 2025 | 5,152,950#125 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityCosta Rica: 1.64× the density | 61 / km²#126 of 194 | 101 / km²#88 of 194 |
| Urban populationCosta Rica: 1.51× the urban share | 53%#128 of 192 · 2025 | 80%#43 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateBosnia and Herzegovina: 1.13× the births per woman | 1.49 per woman#137 of 192 · 2024 | 1.32 per woman#168 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthCosta Rica: 1.22 points higher | −0.77%#188 of 192 · 2025 | +0.45%#133 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateCosta Rica: 1.3× the birth rate | 7.7 per 1,000#174 of 192 · 2024 | 10.0 per 1,000#140 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateBosnia and Herzegovina: 2.41× the death rate | 13.5 per 1,000#7 of 192 · 2024 | 5.6 per 1,000#154 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Costa Rica: 5.5 points higher | 12.8%#184 of 192 · 2025 | 18.3%#124 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Bosnia and Herzegovina: 10.1 points higher | 22.9%#11 of 192 · 2025 | 12.8%#63 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationCosta Rica: 2.4 per 1,000 higher | −2.2 per 1,000#147 of 192 · 2025 | +0.2 per 1,000#68 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadBosnia and Herzegovina: 112× the refugees for its size | 7.85 per 1,000#23 of 190 · 2025 | 0.07 per 1,000#126 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyCosta Rica: 3.0 years longer | 78.0 years#53 of 192 · 2024 | 81.0 years#38 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityCosta Rica: 1.65× the infant mortality | 5.5 per 1,000 births#139 of 191 · 2024 | 9.1 per 1,000 births#115 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsCosta Rica: 1.04× the doctors per person | 2.58 per 1,000#73 of 178 · 2019 | 2.69 per 1,000#68 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolment | 45.5%#83 of 145 · 2023 | — |
| Human Development IndexCosta Rica: 0.029 higher | 0.804#73 of 190 · 2023 | 0.833#61 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaCosta Rica: 1.8× the income per person | $9,940#80 of 185 · 2025 | $17,930#59 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPCosta Rica: 3.16× the economy | $32.6B2025 | $102.91B2025 |
| Income group | Upper-middle income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Costa Rica: 1.31× the output per person | $25,814#79 of 184 · 2025 | $33,815#65 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthCosta Rica: 2.5 points higher | +2.1%#127 of 187 · 2025 | +4.6%#51 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationBosnia and Herzegovina: 4.1 points higher | +4.0%#55 of 176 · 2025 | −0.1%#164 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentBosnia and Herzegovina: 1.62× the unemployment | 11.0%#29 of 178 · 2025 | 6.8%#60 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyCosta Rica: 2.67× the share in extreme poverty | 0.3%#116 of 149 · 2021 | 0.8%#92 of 149 · 2025 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Costa Rica: 15.2 higher | 30.3#116 of 149 · 2021 | 45.5#14 of 149 · 2025 |
| Jobs in agricultureBosnia and Herzegovina: 5.2 points higher | 16.7% of jobs#86 of 178 · 2025 | 11.5% of jobs#103 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryBosnia and Herzegovina: 12.1 points higher | 30.6% of jobs#17 of 178 · 2025 | 18.5% of jobs#98 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesCosta Rica: 17.3 points higher | 52.7% of jobs#106 of 178 · 2025 | 70.0% of jobs#52 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentCosta Rica: 2.8 points higher | 2.6% of GDP#73 of 184 · 2025 | 5.4% of GDP#34 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsBosnia and Herzegovina: 2.2 points higher | 41.0% of GDP#68 of 168 · 2025 | 38.8% of GDP#77 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spending | 0.7% of GDP#134 of 155 · 2025 | 0.0% of GDP#153 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersAbout the same share online | 86%#74 of 184 · 2024 | 87%#72 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsCosta Rica: 1.12× the mobile subscriptions | 121 per 100#78 of 191 · 2024 | 136 per 100#42 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaCosta Rica: 1.4× the forest share | 42% of land#60 of 192 · 2024 | 59% of land#28 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personBosnia and Herzegovina: 3.96× the CO₂ per person | 6.45 t a year#35 of 185 · 2024 | 1.63 t a year#110 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyBosnia and Herzegovina: 2.4 points higher | 36.6%#65 of 190 · 2021 | 34.2%#72 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityBosnia and Herzegovina: 0.2 points higher | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 99.8%#103 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Bosnia and Herzegovina: 1.47× the air pollution | 26.1 µg/m³#60 of 191 · 2023 | 17.7 µg/m³#99 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landCosta Rica: 17.1 points higher | 9.5% of land#144 of 191 · 2025 | 26.6% of land#49 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landBosnia and Herzegovina: 4.7 points higher | 8.0% of land#111 of 190 · 2024 | 3.3% of land#146 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressCosta Rica: 2.81× the water stress | 2.1%#147 of 176 · 2022 | 5.9%#112 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationCosta Rica: 2.85× the rain and snow | 1,028 mm#92 of 180 · 2022 | 2,926 mm#6 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityCosta Rica: 1.56 higher | −0.34#128 of 193 · 2025 | +1.22#19 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionCosta Rica: 1.17 higher | −0.48#117 of 193 · 2025 | +0.69#46 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateCosta Rica: 14.8× the homicide rate | 1.2 per 100,000#97 of 146 · 2023 | 17.7 per 100,000#19 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Parliamentary republic | Presidential republic |
| Member of | — | OECD |
| Capital | Sarajevo | San Jose |
| Currency | Convertible mark (BAM) | Costa Rican colón (CRC) |
| Official languages | Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian | Spanish |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+1, summer time UTC+2 | UTC−6 |
| Calling code | +387 | +506 |
| Region | Southern Europe, Europe | Central America, North America |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Bosnia and Herzegovina sits at about 44° N and is stretched to 1.94× its true area; Costa Rica at 10° N is stretched to 1.03×. That difference is why Bosnia and Herzegovina looks so much bigger than it is next to Costa Rica. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Bosnia and Herzegovina bigger than Costa Rica?
- Yes. Bosnia and Herzegovina and Costa Rica are almost exactly the same size. Bosnia and Herzegovina covers 51,209 km² and Costa Rica covers 51,180 km².
- How many times does Costa Rica fit into Bosnia and Herzegovina?
- About 1.0 times: Bosnia and Herzegovina has 1.0× the area of Costa Rica.
- Why do Bosnia and Herzegovina and Costa Rica look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Bosnia and Herzegovina is drawn about 1.94× its true area there and Costa Rica about 1.03×. That is why Bosnia and Herzegovina looks so much bigger than it really is next to Costa Rica. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Bosnia and Herzegovina or Costa Rica?
- Costa Rica: 5,152,950 people against 3,140,095. Density: Bosnia and Herzegovina 61 per km², Costa Rica 101 per km².
- Which is richer, Bosnia and Herzegovina or Costa Rica?
- By gross national income per person, Costa Rica: $17,930 against $9,940 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.8× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Bosnia and Herzegovina or Costa Rica?
- In Costa Rica: life expectancy at birth is 81.0 years, against 78.0 — 3.0 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Bosnia and Herzegovina and Costa Rica have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Bosnia and Herzegovina: parliamentary republic; Costa Rica: presidential republic.