Costa Rica vs Nicaragua
Nicaragua is 2.35 times larger than Costa Rica. Costa Rica would fit into Nicaragua about 2.4 times.
Costa RicaNicaraguaCosta Rica moved onto Nicaragua · Equal-area projection
0.43×
Costa Rica is 0.43× the area of Nicaragua. Put the other way, Nicaragua is 2.35× the size of Costa Rica.
 Costa Rica |  Nicaragua | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaNicaragua: 2.35× the area | 51,180 km²#126 of 194 | 120,340 km²#97 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 2 | 2 |
| People | ||
| PopulationNicaragua: 1.36× the population | 5,152,950#125 of 194 · 2025 | 7,007,502#108 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityCosta Rica: 1.73× the density | 101 / km²#88 of 194 | 58 / km²#127 of 194 |
| Urban populationCosta Rica: 1.34× the urban share | 80%#43 of 192 · 2025 | 59%#108 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateNicaragua: 1.67× the births per woman | 1.32 per woman#168 of 192 · 2024 | 2.21 per woman#86 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthNicaragua: 0.86 points higher | +0.45%#133 of 192 · 2025 | +1.31%#76 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateNicaragua: 1.91× the birth rate | 10.0 per 1,000#140 of 192 · 2024 | 19.1 per 1,000#77 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateCosta Rica: 1.22× the death rate | 5.6 per 1,000#154 of 192 · 2024 | 4.6 per 1,000#179 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Nicaragua: 10.0 points higher | 18.3%#124 of 192 · 2025 | 28.3%#78 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Costa Rica: 7.1 points higher | 12.8%#63 of 192 · 2025 | 5.7%#115 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationCosta Rica: 1.4 per 1,000 higher | +0.2 per 1,000#68 of 192 · 2025 | −1.2 per 1,000#122 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadNicaragua: 72× the refugees for its size | 0.07 per 1,000#126 of 190 · 2025 | 5.04 per 1,000#27 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyCosta Rica: 5.9 years longer | 81.0 years#38 of 192 · 2024 | 75.1 years#85 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityNicaragua: 1.03× the infant mortality | 9.1 per 1,000 births#115 of 191 · 2024 | 9.4 per 1,000 births#113 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsCosta Rica: 3.96× the doctors per person | 2.69 per 1,000#68 of 178 · 2022 | 0.68 per 1,000#120 of 178 · 2018 |
| University enrolment | — | 30.4%#102 of 145 · 2023 |
| Human Development IndexCosta Rica: 0.127 higher | 0.833#61 of 190 · 2023 | 0.706#122 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaCosta Rica: 6.29× the income per person | $17,930#59 of 185 · 2025 | $2,850#136 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPCosta Rica: 4.63× the economy | $102.91B2025 | $22.24B2025 |
| Income group | High income | Lower-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Costa Rica: 3.64× the output per person | $33,815#65 of 184 · 2025 | $9,284#130 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthNicaragua: 0.3 points higher | +4.6%#51 of 187 · 2025 | +4.9%#50 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationNicaragua: 2.2 points higher | −0.1%#164 of 176 · 2025 | +2.1%#116 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentCosta Rica: 1.36× the unemployment | 6.8%#60 of 178 · 2025 | 5.0%#93 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme poverty | 0.8%#92 of 149 · 2025 | — |
| Income inequality (Gini) | 45.5#14 of 149 · 2025 | — |
| Jobs in agricultureNicaragua: 19.0 points higher | 11.5% of jobs#103 of 178 · 2025 | 30.5% of jobs#59 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryCosta Rica: 1.6 points higher | 18.5% of jobs#98 of 178 · 2025 | 16.9% of jobs#115 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesCosta Rica: 17.4 points higher | 70.0% of jobs#52 of 178 · 2025 | 52.6% of jobs#107 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentNicaragua: 1.4 points higher | 5.4% of GDP#34 of 184 · 2025 | 6.8% of GDP#26 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsNicaragua: 2.8 points higher | 38.8% of GDP#77 of 168 · 2025 | 41.6% of GDP#65 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spending | 0.0% of GDP#153 of 155 · 2025 | 0.6% of GDP#139 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersCosta Rica: 1.42× the share online | 87%#72 of 184 · 2024 | 61%#133 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsCosta Rica: 1.28× the mobile subscriptions | 136 per 100#42 of 191 · 2024 | 106 per 100#122 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaCosta Rica: 2.29× the forest share | 59% of land#28 of 192 · 2024 | 26% of land#107 of 192 · 2023 |
| CO₂ per personCosta Rica: 1.96× the CO₂ per person | 1.63 t a year#110 of 185 · 2024 | 0.83 t a year#134 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyNicaragua: 16.2 points higher | 34.2%#72 of 190 · 2021 | 50.4%#47 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityCosta Rica: 11.1 points higher | 99.8%#103 of 192 · 2024 | 88.7%#142 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Nicaragua: 1.15× the air pollution | 17.7 µg/m³#99 of 191 · 2023 | 20.4 µg/m³#77 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landCosta Rica: 5.4 points higher | 26.6% of land#49 of 191 · 2025 | 21.2% of land#77 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landNicaragua: 9.2 points higher | 3.3% of land#146 of 190 · 2024 | 12.5% of land#82 of 190 · 2022 |
| Water stressCosta Rica: 2.68× the water stress | 5.9%#112 of 176 · 2022 | 2.2%#143 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationCosta Rica: 1.28× the rain and snow | 2,926 mm#6 of 180 · 2022 | 2,280 mm#22 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityCosta Rica: 1.23 higher | +1.22#19 of 193 · 2025 | −0.01#105 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionCosta Rica: 2.07 higher | +0.69#46 of 193 · 2025 | −1.38#178 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateCosta Rica: 1.57× the homicide rate | 17.7 per 100,000#19 of 146 · 2023 | 11.3 per 100,000#26 of 146 · 2021 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | Presidential republic |
| Member of | OECD | — |
| Capital | San Jose | Managua |
| Currency | Costa Rican colón (CRC) | Nicaraguan córdoba (NIO) |
| Official languages | Spanish | Spanish |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC−6 | UTC−6 |
| Calling code | +506 | +505 |
| Region | Central America, North America | 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. Costa Rica sits at about 10° N and is stretched to 1.03× its true area; Nicaragua at 13° N is stretched to 1.05×. 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 Nicaragua?
- No. Costa Rica is 2.35 times smaller than Nicaragua. Costa Rica covers 51,180 km² and Nicaragua covers 120,340 km².
- How many times does Costa Rica fit into Nicaragua?
- About 2.4 times: Nicaragua has 2.35× the area of Costa Rica.
- Why do Costa Rica and Nicaragua 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 Nicaragua about 1.05×. 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 Nicaragua?
- Nicaragua: 7,007,502 people against 5,152,950. Density: Costa Rica 101 per km², Nicaragua 58 per km².
- Which is richer, Costa Rica or Nicaragua?
- By gross national income per person, Costa Rica: $17,930 against $2,850 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 6.29× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Costa Rica or Nicaragua?
- In Costa Rica: life expectancy at birth is 81.0 years, against 75.1 — 5.9 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Costa Rica and Nicaragua have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: presidential republic (CIA World Factbook).