nature
Costa Rica covers just 0.03% of Earth's land surface yet contains an estimated 5% of the world's biodiversity.
Costa Rica
Republic of Costa Rica
Population, GDP, and key facts about Costa Rica — updated for 2026.
Capital · SAN JOSEContinent · AMERICASISO · CRI
Costa Rica quick facts
- Population
- 5,129,910
- Area
- 51,100 km²
- Population density
- 100 people/km²
- GDP
- US$ 96.7 Billion
- GDP per capita
- US$ 18.9K
- Capital
- San Jose
- Currency
- Costa Rican colón (₡, CRC)
- Minimum wage
- US$ 696.2/month · ₡ 358,609/month (2024)
- Language
- Spanish
Costa Rica at human scale
Where does Costa Rica rank in the world?
Compare Costa Rica with other countries
🇨🇷 vs 🇵🇦Compare Costa Rica vs Panama1.1× difference in population🇨🇷 vs 🇲🇷Compare Costa Rica vs Mauritania
Compare Costa Rica with any country →Costa Rica's war history
- Government of Costa RicavsNational Liberation Army
Intrastate
Wars that reached at least 1,000 battle-related deaths in a year, since 1946 — not a full record of every armed conflict Costa Rica has had. Source: UCDP/PRIO Armed Conflict Dataset.
See every war since 1946 on the War Timeline →Costa Rica's energy mix
Renewables · 100%
- Hydropower75%
- Wind12%
- Other renewables12%
- Solar1%
- Bioenergy0%
Share of Costa Rica's own electricity generation by source, 2025. Source: Our World in Data (Ember Yearly Electricity Data and the Energy Institute Statistical Review of World Energy).
Everything we know about Costa Rica
nature
Costa Rica has no standing army, having abolished its military in 1948, and channels the savings into conservation — it now protects roughly a quarter of its territory as parks and reserves.
Countries near Costa Rica
How many countries do you think Costa Rica could fit?
Pour other countries into Costa Rica's own outline, by real area, and see how many it takes to fill it up.
Fill the Country →Frequently asked questions about Costa Rica
What is the capital of Costa Rica?
The capital of Costa Rica is San Jose.
What is Costa Rica's population?
Costa Rica has a population of 5,129,910.
What is Costa Rica's GDP per capita?
Costa Rica's GDP per capita is US$ 18.9K.
What is the currency of Costa Rica?
The currency of Costa Rica is the Costa Rican colón (CRC).
What is the minimum wage in Costa Rica?
Costa Rica's statutory minimum wage is about US$ 696.2 per month (as of 2024) — ₡ 358,609 per month in local currency.
Is Costa Rica bigger than Panama?
Panama is about 1.5× the size of Costa Rica by land area.
Data from the World Bank, updated November 2026.