Costa Rica Travel Podcast with Daniela Rojas

Location

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

Terrain

Coastal plains separated by rugged mountains including over 100 volcanic cones, of which several are major active volcanoes

Climate

Tropical and subtropical; dry season (December to April); rainy season (May to November); cooler in highlands

Elevation

Highest point

Cerro Chirripo 3,819 m

Lowest point

Pacific Ocean 0 m

Mean elevation

746 m

Area

Total

51,100 sq km

Land

51,060 sq km

Water

40 sq km

Size comparison

Slightly smaller than West Virginia

Coastline

1,290 km

Land borders

Total

661 km

Border countries

Nicaragua 313 km; Panama 348 km

Natural resources

Hydropower

Land use

Agricultural land

33.1% (2023 est.)

Arable land

3.3% (2023 est.)

Permanent crops

7.4% (2023 est.)

Permanent pasture

22.5% (2023 est.)

Forest

58.4% (2023 est.)

Other

8.4% (2023 est.)

Natural hazards

Occasional earthquakes, hurricanes along Atlantic coast; frequent flooding of lowlands at onset of rainy season and landslides; active volcanoes

Volcanism: Arenal (1,670 m) is the most active volcano in Costa Rica; a 1968 eruption destroyed the town of Tabacon; Irazu (3,432 m), situated just east of San Jose, has the potential to spew ash over the capital city, as it did between 1963 and 1965; other historically active volcanoes include Miravalles, Poas, Rincon de la Vieja, and Turrialba

Note

Four volcanoes, two of them active, rise near the capital of San Jose in the center of the country; one of the volcanoes, Irazu, erupted destructively in 1963-65

Population

Total

5,304,932 (2025 est.)

Male

2,654,314

Female

2,650,618

Nationality

Noun

Costa Rican(s)

Adjective

Costa Rican

Ethnic groups

White or Mestizo 83.6%, Mulatto 6.7%, Indigenous 2.4%, Black or African descent 1.1%, other 1.1%, none 2.9%, unspecified 2.2% (2011 est.)

Languages

Languages

Spanish (official), English

Major-language sample(s)

La Libreta Informativa del Mundo, la fuente indispensable de información básica. (Spanish)

Religions

Roman Catholic 47.5%, Evangelical and Pentecostal 19.8%, Jehovah's Witness 1.4%, other Protestant 1.2%, other 3.1%, none 27% (2021 est.)

Median age

Total

36 years (2025 est.)

Male

34.9 years

Female

36.1 years

Life expectancy

Total population

80.3 years (2024 est.)

Male

77.7 years

Female

82.9 years

Urbanisation

Urban population

82.6% of total population (2023)

Rate of urbanization

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

Where people live

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

Largest cities

1.462 million SAN JOSE (capital) (2023)

Background

Although explored by the Spanish early in the 16th century, initial attempts at colonizing Costa Rica proved unsuccessful due to a combination of factors, including disease from mosquito-infested swamps, brutal heat, resistance from Indigenous populations, and pirate raids. It was not until 1563 that a permanent settlement of Cartago was established in the cooler, fertile central highlands. The area remained a colony for some two-and-a-half centuries. In 1821, Costa Rica was one of several Central American provinces that jointly declared independence from Spain. Two years later it joined the United Provinces of Central America, but this federation disintegrated in 1838, at which time Costa Rica proclaimed its sovereignty and independence.

Since the late 19th century, only two brief periods of violence have marred the country's democratic development. General Federico TINOCO Granados led a coup in 1917, but the threat of US intervention pushed him to resign in 1919. In 1948, landowner Jose FIGUERES Ferrer raised his own army and rebelled against the government. The brief civil war ended with an agreement to allow FIGUERES to remain in power for 18 months, then step down in favor of the previously elected Otilio ULATE. FIGUERES was later elected twice in his own right, in 1953 and 1970.

Costa Rica experienced destabilizing waves of refugees from Central American civil wars in the 1970s and 1980s, but peace in the region has since helped the economy rebound. Although it still maintains a large agricultural sector, Costa Rica has expanded its economy to include strong technology and tourism industries.

Government

Presidential republic

Capital

San José

Time zone

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

Local name

República de Costa Rica

Independence

15 September 1821 (from Spain)

National day

Independence Day, 15 September (1821)

Overview

Trade-based upper middle-income economy; green economy leader, having reversed deforestation; investing in blue economy infrastructure; declining poverty until hard impacts of COVID-19; lingering inequality and growing government debts have prompted a liquidity crisis

GDP per capita

Real GDP per capita 2024

$27,000 (2024 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2023

$26,000 (2023 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2022

$24,800 (2022 est.)

Inflation

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2024

-0.4% (2024 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023

0.5% (2023 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022

8.3% (2022 est.)

Unemployment

Unemployment rate 2024

7.9% (2024 est.)

Unemployment rate 2023

8.4% (2023 est.)

Unemployment rate 2022

11.4% (2022 est.)

Exchange rate

Currency

Costa Rican colones (CRC) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2024

515.11 (2024 est.)

Exchange rates 2023

544.051 (2023 est.)

Exchange rates 2022

647.136 (2022 est.)

Exchange rates 2021

620.785 (2021 est.)

Exchange rates 2020

584.901 (2020 est.)

Main industries

Medical equipment, food processing, textiles and clothing, construction materials, fertilizer, plastic products

Agriculture

Sugarcane, pineapples, bananas, oil palm fruit, milk, fruits, oranges, chicken, cassava, beef (2023)

Airports

132 (2025)

Railways

Total

278 km (2014)

Narrow gauge

278 km (2014) 1.067-m gauge

Ports

Total ports

6 (2024)

Large

0

Medium

0

Small

1

Very small

5

Ports with oil terminals

4

Key ports

Golfito, Puerto Caldera, Puerto Limon, Puerto Moin, Puerto Quepos, Puntarenas

Internet domain

.cr

Internet users

Percent of population 85% (2023 est.)

Mobile subscriptions

Total subscriptions

6.98 million (2024 est.)

Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

136 (2024 est.)

Environmental issues

Deforestation, largely from clearing land for cattle ranching and agriculture; soil erosion; coastal marine pollution; fisheries protection; solid waste management; air pollution

Fresh water

113 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)