Capital

Costa Rica

name: San Jose

geographic coordinates: 9 56 N, 84 05 W

time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

etymology: named in honor of Saint Joseph

Citizenship

Costa Rica

citizenship by birth: yes

citizenship by descent only: yes

dual citizenship recognized: yes

residency requirement for naturalization: 7 years

Legal system

Costa Rica

civil law system based on Spanish civil code; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court

Suffrage

Costa Rica

18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Area

Costa Rica

total: 51,100 sq km

land: 51,060 sq km

water: 40 sq km

note: includes Isla del Coco

Land use

Costa Rica

agricultural land: 37.1% (2018 est.)

arable land: 4.9% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 6.7% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 25.5% (2018 est.)

forest: 51.5% (2018 est.)

other: 11.4% (2018 est.)

Location

Costa Rica

Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Nicaragua and Panama

Age structure

Costa Rica

0-14 years: 21.49% (male 577,782/female 552,041)

15-64 years: 68.59% (male 1,813,827/female 1,791,510)

65 years and over: 9.92% (2023 est.) (male 238,971/female 282,481)

Birth rate

Costa Rica

10.7 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate

Costa Rica

5.5 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Languages

Costa Rica

Spanish (official), English

major-language sample(s):
La Libreta Informativa del Mundo, la fuente indispensable de información básica. (Spanish)

The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Life expectancy at birth

Costa Rica

total population: 79.6 years (2023 est.)

male: 77 years

female: 82.4 years

Major urban areas - population

Costa Rica

1.462 million SAN JOSE (capital) (2023)

Median age

Costa Rica

total: 35 years (2023 est.)

male: 34.4 years

female: 35.6 years

Net migration rate

Costa Rica

2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution

Costa Rica

roughly half of the nation's population resides in urban areas; the capital of San Jose is the largest city and home to approximately one-fifth of the population

Population growth rate

Costa Rica

0.72% (2023 est.)

Total fertility rate

Costa Rica

1.4 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Urbanization

Costa Rica

urban population: 82.6% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization: 1.5% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Education expenditures

Costa Rica

6.7% of GDP (2020 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

Costa Rica

total: 17 years

male: 16 years

female: 17 years (2019)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

Costa Rica

-6.1% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Industrial production growth rate

Costa Rica

9.83% (2021 est.)

Labor force

Costa Rica

2.426 million (2021 est.)

note: official estimate; excludes Nicaraguans living in Costa Rica

Population below poverty line

Costa Rica

21% (2019 est.)

Unemployment rate

Costa Rica

17.95% (2021 est.)

17.41% (2020 est.)

11.49% (2019 est.)

Public debt

Costa Rica

48.9% of GDP (2017 est.)

44.9% of GDP (2016 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Costa Rica

1.73% (2021 est.)

0.72% (2020 est.)

2.1% (2019 est.)

Exports

Costa Rica

$23.761 billion (2021 est.)

$19.996 billion (2020 est.)

$22.738 billion (2019 est.)

note: Data are in current year dollars and do not include illicit exports or re-exports.

Exports - partners

Costa Rica

United States 38%, Netherlands 6%, Belgium 5%, Guatemala 5%, Panama 5% (2019)

Imports

Costa Rica

$22.298 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$17.701 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$20.314 billion (2019 est.)

Imports - partners

Costa Rica

United States 41%, China 13%, Mexico 7% (2019)

Airports

Costa Rica

161 (2021)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

Costa Rica

total: 992,725 (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 20 (2020 est.)

Internet users

Costa Rica

total: 4.316 million (2021 est.)

percent of population: 83% (2021 est.)

Railways

Costa Rica

total: 278 km (2014)

narrow gauge: 278 km (2014) 1.067-m gauge

note: the entire rail network fell into disrepair and out of use at the end of the 20th century; since 2005, certain sections of rail have been rehabilitated

Roadways

Costa Rica

total: 5,035 km (2017)

Telephones - fixed lines

Costa Rica

total subscriptions: 553,455 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 11 (2021 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

Costa Rica

total subscriptions: 7,834,435 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 152 (2021 est.)

Waterways

Costa Rica

730 km (2011) (seasonally navigable by small craft)

Disputes - international

Costa Rica

Costa Rica and Nicaragua regularly file border dispute cases over the delimitations of the San Juan River and the northern tip of Calero Island to the International Court of Justice (ICJ); in 2009, the ICJ ruled that Costa Rican vessels carrying out police activities could not use the river, but official Costa Rican vessels providing essential services to riverside inhabitants and Costa Rican tourists could travel freely on the river; in 2011, the ICJ provisionally ruled that both countries must remove personnel from the disputed area; in 2013, the ICJ rejected Nicaragua's 2012 suit to halt Costa Rica's construction of a highway paralleling the river on the grounds of irreparable environmental damage; in 2013, the ICJ, regarding the disputed territory, ordered that Nicaragua should refrain from dredging or canal construction and refill and repair damage caused by trenches connecting the river to the Caribbean and upheld its 2010 ruling that Nicaragua must remove all personnel; in early 2014, Costa Rica brought Nicaragua to the ICJ over offshore oil concessions in the disputed region