Costa Rica vs Croatia
Croatia is 11% larger than Costa Rica.
Costa RicaCroatiaCosta Rica moved onto Croatia · Equal-area projection
0.9×
Costa Rica is 0.9× the area of Croatia. Put the other way, Croatia is 1.11× the size of Costa Rica.
 Costa Rica |  Croatia | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaCroatia: 1.11× the area | 51,180 km²#126 of 194 | 56,594 km²#124 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 2 | 5 |
| People | ||
| PopulationCosta Rica: 1.33× the population | 5,152,950#125 of 194 · 2025 | 3,876,200#129 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityCosta Rica: 1.47× the density | 101 / km²#88 of 194 | 68 / km²#118 of 194 |
| Urban populationCosta Rica: 1.38× the urban share | 80%#43 of 192 · 2025 | 58%#115 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateCroatia: 1.11× the births per woman | 1.32 per woman#168 of 192 · 2024 | 1.46 per woman#144 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthCosta Rica: 0.19 points higher | +0.45%#133 of 192 · 2025 | +0.26%#146 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateCosta Rica: 1.2× the birth rate | 10.0 per 1,000#140 of 192 · 2024 | 8.3 per 1,000#166 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateCroatia: 2.36× the death rate | 5.6 per 1,000#154 of 192 · 2024 | 13.2 per 1,000#10 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Costa Rica: 4.6 points higher | 18.3%#124 of 192 · 2025 | 13.7%#180 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Croatia: 10.8 points higher | 12.8%#63 of 192 · 2025 | 23.6%#8 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationCosta Rica: 1.1 per 1,000 higher | +0.2 per 1,000#68 of 192 · 2025 | −0.9 per 1,000#114 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadCroatia: 63.4× the refugees for its size | 0.07 per 1,000#126 of 190 · 2025 | 4.44 per 1,000#30 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyCosta Rica: 2.1 years longer | 81.0 years#38 of 192 · 2024 | 78.9 years#46 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityCosta Rica: 2.22× the infant mortality | 9.1 per 1,000 births#115 of 191 · 2024 | 4.1 per 1,000 births#150 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsCroatia: 1.45× the doctors per person | 2.69 per 1,000#68 of 178 · 2022 | 3.91 per 1,000#32 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolment | — | 81.2%#21 of 145 · 2023 |
| Human Development IndexCroatia: 0.056 higher | 0.833#61 of 190 · 2023 | 0.889#40 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaCroatia: 1.41× the income per person | $17,930#59 of 185 · 2025 | $25,360#45 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPAbout the same economy | $102.91B2025 | $105.06B2025 |
| Income group | High income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Croatia: 1.51× the output per person | $33,815#65 of 184 · 2025 | $50,946#42 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthCosta Rica: 1.2 points higher | +4.6%#51 of 187 · 2025 | +3.4%#89 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationCroatia: 3.8 points higher | −0.1%#164 of 176 · 2025 | +3.7%#68 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentCosta Rica: 1.36× the unemployment | 6.8%#60 of 178 · 2025 | 5.0%#93 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyCosta Rica: 2.67× the share in extreme poverty | 0.8%#92 of 149 · 2025 | 0.3%#116 of 149 · 2023 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Costa Rica: 15.4 higher | 45.5#14 of 149 · 2025 | 30.1#118 of 149 · 2023 |
| Jobs in agricultureCosta Rica: 7.2 points higher | 11.5% of jobs#103 of 178 · 2025 | 4.3% of jobs#136 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryCroatia: 7.9 points higher | 18.5% of jobs#98 of 178 · 2025 | 26.4% of jobs#31 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesCosta Rica: 0.7 points higher | 70.0% of jobs#52 of 178 · 2025 | 69.3% of jobs#55 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentCosta Rica: 2.6 points higher | 5.4% of GDP#34 of 184 · 2025 | 2.8% of GDP#68 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsCroatia: 9.2 points higher | 38.8% of GDP#77 of 168 · 2025 | 48.0% of GDP#49 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spending | 0.0% of GDP#153 of 155 · 2025 | 2.0% of GDP#63 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersCosta Rica: 1.04× the share online | 87%#72 of 184 · 2024 | 84%#84 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsCosta Rica: 1.11× the mobile subscriptions | 136 per 100#42 of 191 · 2024 | 122 per 100#76 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaCosta Rica: 1.7× the forest share | 59% of land#28 of 192 · 2024 | 35% of land#85 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personCroatia: 2.96× the CO₂ per person | 1.63 t a year#110 of 185 · 2024 | 4.83 t a year#50 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyCosta Rica: 0.1 points higher | 34.2%#72 of 190 · 2021 | 34.1%#73 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityCroatia: 0.2 points higher | 99.8%#103 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Costa Rica: 1.12× the air pollution | 17.7 µg/m³#99 of 191 · 2023 | 15.8 µg/m³#110 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landCroatia: 11.8 points higher | 26.6% of land#49 of 191 · 2025 | 38.4% of land#18 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landCroatia: 11.9 points higher | 3.3% of land#146 of 190 · 2024 | 15.2% of land#74 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressCosta Rica: 3.93× the water stress | 5.9%#112 of 176 · 2022 | 1.5%#154 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationCosta Rica: 2.63× the rain and snow | 2,926 mm#6 of 180 · 2022 | 1,113 mm#84 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityCosta Rica: 0.54 higher | +1.22#19 of 193 · 2025 | +0.68#58 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionCosta Rica: 0.56 higher | +0.69#46 of 193 · 2025 | +0.13#75 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateCosta Rica: 25.3× the homicide rate | 17.7 per 100,000#19 of 146 · 2023 | 0.7 per 100,000#123 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | Parliamentary republic |
| Member of | OECD | EU, NATO, Euro area, Schengen Area |
| Capital | San Jose | Zagreb |
| Currency | Costa Rican colón (CRC) | Euro (EUR) |
| Official languages | Spanish | Croatian |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC−6 | UTC+1, summer time UTC+2 |
| Calling code | +506 | +385 |
| Region | Central America, North America | Southern Europe, Europe |
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. Costa Rica sits at about 10° N and is stretched to 1.03× its true area; Croatia at 45° N is stretched to 2.01×. That difference is why Croatia 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 Costa Rica bigger than Croatia?
- No. Costa Rica is 10% smaller than Croatia. Costa Rica covers 51,180 km² and Croatia covers 56,594 km².
- How many times does Costa Rica fit into Croatia?
- About 1.1 times: Croatia has 1.11× the area of Costa Rica.
- Why do Costa Rica and Croatia look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Costa Rica is drawn about 1.03× its true area there and Croatia about 2.01×. That is why Croatia 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, Costa Rica or Croatia?
- Costa Rica: 5,152,950 people against 3,876,200. Density: Costa Rica 101 per km², Croatia 68 per km².
- Which is richer, Costa Rica or Croatia?
- By gross national income per person, Croatia: $25,360 against $17,930 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.41× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Costa Rica or Croatia?
- In Costa Rica: life expectancy at birth is 81.0 years, against 78.9 — 2.1 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Costa Rica and Croatia have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Costa Rica: presidential republic; Croatia: parliamentary republic.