Costa Rica vs Dominican Republic
Costa Rica is 5% larger than Dominican Republic.
Costa RicaDominican RepublicCosta Rica moved onto Dominican Republic · Equal-area projection
1.05×
Costa Rica is 1.05× the area of Dominican Republic.
 Costa Rica |  Dominican Republic | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaCosta Rica: 1.05× the area | 51,180 km²#126 of 194 | 48,671 km²#128 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 2 | 1 |
| People | ||
| PopulationDominican Republic: 2.24× the population | 5,152,950#125 of 194 · 2025 | 11,520,487#85 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityDominican Republic: 2.35× the density | 101 / km²#88 of 194 | 237 / km²#43 of 194 |
| Urban populationCosta Rica: 1.1× the urban share | 80%#43 of 192 · 2025 | 73%#64 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateDominican Republic: 1.68× the births per woman | 1.32 per woman#168 of 192 · 2024 | 2.22 per woman#85 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthDominican Republic: 0.36 points higher | +0.45%#133 of 192 · 2025 | +0.81%#108 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateDominican Republic: 1.76× the birth rate | 10.0 per 1,000#140 of 192 · 2024 | 17.6 per 1,000#84 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateDominican Republic: 1.11× the death rate | 5.6 per 1,000#154 of 192 · 2024 | 6.2 per 1,000#129 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Dominican Republic: 7.9 points higher | 18.3%#124 of 192 · 2025 | 26.2%#86 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Costa Rica: 4.6 points higher | 12.8%#63 of 192 · 2025 | 8.2%#93 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationCosta Rica: 3.3 per 1,000 higher | +0.2 per 1,000#68 of 192 · 2025 | −3.1 per 1,000#160 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadDominican Republic: 1.57× the refugees for its size | 0.07 per 1,000#126 of 190 · 2025 | 0.11 per 1,000#116 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyCosta Rica: 7.1 years longer | 81.0 years#38 of 192 · 2024 | 73.9 years#95 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityDominican Republic: 3.04× the infant mortality | 9.1 per 1,000 births#115 of 191 · 2024 | 27.7 per 1,000 births#51 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsCosta Rica: 1.11× the doctors per person | 2.69 per 1,000#68 of 178 · 2022 | 2.43 per 1,000#75 of 178 · 2023 |
| University enrolment | — | 57.7%#61 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexCosta Rica: 0.057 higher | 0.833#61 of 190 · 2023 | 0.776#88 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaCosta Rica: 1.69× the income per person | $17,930#59 of 185 · 2025 | $10,620#78 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPDominican Republic: 1.24× the economy | $102.91B2025 | $127.41B2025 |
| Income group | High income | Upper-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Costa Rica: 1.18× the output per person | $33,815#65 of 184 · 2025 | $28,721#70 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthCosta Rica: 2.5 points higher | +4.6%#51 of 187 · 2025 | +2.1%#127 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationDominican Republic: 4.0 points higher | −0.1%#164 of 176 · 2025 | +3.9%#60 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentCosta Rica: 1.33× the unemployment | 6.8%#60 of 178 · 2025 | 5.1%#88 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyAbout the same share in extreme poverty | 0.8%#92 of 149 · 2025 | 0.8%#92 of 149 · 2024 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Costa Rica: 6.5 higher | 45.5#14 of 149 · 2025 | 39.0#45 of 149 · 2024 |
| Jobs in agricultureCosta Rica: 4.5 points higher | 11.5% of jobs#103 of 178 · 2025 | 7.0% of jobs#121 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryDominican Republic: 0.5 points higher | 18.5% of jobs#98 of 178 · 2025 | 19.0% of jobs#88 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesDominican Republic: 4.0 points higher | 70.0% of jobs#52 of 178 · 2025 | 74.0% of jobs#33 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentCosta Rica: 1.5 points higher | 5.4% of GDP#34 of 184 · 2025 | 3.9% of GDP#49 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsCosta Rica: 15.2 points higher | 38.8% of GDP#77 of 168 · 2025 | 23.6% of GDP#118 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spending | 0.0% of GDP#153 of 155 · 2025 | 0.8% of GDP#129 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersDominican Republic: 1.04× the share online | 87%#72 of 184 · 2024 | 91%#50 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsCosta Rica: 1.45× the mobile subscriptions | 136 per 100#42 of 191 · 2024 | 94 per 100#137 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaCosta Rica: 1.27× the forest share | 59% of land#28 of 192 · 2024 | 47% of land#54 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personDominican Republic: 1.83× the CO₂ per person | 1.63 t a year#110 of 185 · 2024 | 2.99 t a year#83 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyCosta Rica: 19.4 points higher | 34.2%#72 of 190 · 2021 | 14.8%#123 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityCosta Rica: 0.3 points higher | 99.8%#103 of 192 · 2024 | 99.5%#108 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Costa Rica: 1.31× the air pollution | 17.7 µg/m³#99 of 191 · 2023 | 13.5 µg/m³#131 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landCosta Rica: 0.3 points higher | 26.6% of land#49 of 191 · 2025 | 26.3% of land#50 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landDominican Republic: 18.4 points higher | 3.3% of land#146 of 190 · 2024 | 21.7% of land#50 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressDominican Republic: 6.71× the water stress | 5.9%#112 of 176 · 2022 | 39.6%#45 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationCosta Rica: 2.08× the rain and snow | 2,926 mm#6 of 180 · 2022 | 1,410 mm#65 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityCosta Rica: 0.61 higher | +1.22#19 of 193 · 2025 | +0.61#61 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionCosta Rica: 0.68 higher | +0.69#46 of 193 · 2025 | +0.01#81 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateCosta Rica: 1.62× the homicide rate | 17.7 per 100,000#19 of 146 · 2023 | 10.9 per 100,000#30 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | Presidential republic |
| Member of | OECD | — |
| Capital | San Jose | Santo Domingo |
| Currency | Costa Rican colón (CRC) | Dominican peso (DOP) |
| Official languages | Spanish | Spanish |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC−6 | UTC−4 |
| Calling code | +506 | +1 809, +1 829, +1 849 |
| Region | Central America, North America | Caribbean, 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. Costa Rica sits at about 10° N and is stretched to 1.03× its true area; Dominican Republic at 19° N is stretched to 1.12×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. 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 Dominican Republic?
- Yes. Costa Rica is 5% larger than Dominican Republic. Costa Rica covers 51,180 km² and Dominican Republic covers 48,671 km².
- How many times does Dominican Republic fit into Costa Rica?
- About 1.1 times: Costa Rica has 1.05× the area of Dominican Republic.
- Why do Costa Rica and Dominican Republic 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 Dominican Republic about 1.12×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Costa Rica or Dominican Republic?
- Dominican Republic: 11,520,487 people against 5,152,950. Density: Costa Rica 101 per km², Dominican Republic 237 per km².
- Which is richer, Costa Rica or Dominican Republic?
- By gross national income per person, Costa Rica: $17,930 against $10,620 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.69× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Costa Rica or Dominican Republic?
- In Costa Rica: life expectancy at birth is 81.0 years, against 73.9 — 7.1 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Costa Rica and Dominican Republic have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: presidential republic (CIA World Factbook).