Local time--:--:--San José ·

North America / Central America · Card 011

Costa Rica

Costa Rica is a country in Central America. Its capital is San José.

Find Costa Rica

● Capital · Gold highlights this card’s area.
Map: Natural Earth. Boundaries show geographic context, not a position on sovereignty. Small islands may use enlarged markers.

At a glance

Capital: San José
Language guide: Languages spoken & official status
Currency: Costa Rican colón (CRC)
Population: 5.2 million2025 · World Bank
Area: 51,100 km²19,729.81 square miles
Independence: 1821from Spain

Costa Rica in context

North America and its surrounding regions. The dot marks San José; the mapped territory is highlighted in gold.

Natural Earth · locator map

Geography & environment

Landscape

Costa Rica has mountain ranges running through much of its interior, with lowlands beside both the Pacific and Caribbean. Volcanic peaks and valleys divide the country into regions with different rainfall and temperatures. The central highlands contain many major settlements.

Arenal is one example of the volcanic landscape. Elsewhere, rainforest, cloud forest, dry forest and coastal plains create a wide range of scenery. Pacific and Caribbean coasts differ in exposure and seasonal rainfall.

Climate & seasons

Lowlands are tropical, while higher elevations are cooler. Rainfall patterns differ between the Caribbean and Pacific sides, with a more marked dry season on much of the Pacific side.

Habitats & elevation

Elevation allows cool mountain habitats to occur close to tropical lowlands. Forested catchments feed short rivers on both sides of the country. Rainfall and slope conditions help explain the distribution of forests, farms and protected areas.

Flag

Five horizontal bands of blue (top), white, red (double-width), white, and blue, with the coat of arms in a white elliptical disk placed toward the left side of the red band

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile

Landscapes & nature

Languages

Public and official use

Spanish is the official language and the main language of national public life.

Community and regional languages

Bribri, Cabécar, Maleku and other Indigenous languages form part of Costa Rica’s linguistic heritage. An English-based Creole is also associated with Afro-Caribbean communities on the Caribbean coast, especially around Limón.

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile

History & independence

Costa Rica declared independence from Spain with other Central American provinces in 1821. It later belonged to the Central American federation before becoming a separate state. After a brief civil war in 1948, the country abolished its army and adopted a new constitution in 1949.

1821
Independence from Spain
1948
The army is abolished after a civil war
1949
The current constitutional framework is adopted

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile

Economy

Main activities

Medical devices, business services, tourism and agriculture are important activities. Coffee, bananas and pineapples remain notable agricultural products. Manufacturing and services have broadened the economy beyond traditional crop exports.

Industry and production

Medical devices, food processing, business services and tourism are important. Coffee, bananas and pineapples are notable agricultural products.

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile

Population & economic trends

Dated World Bank observations. Population uses selected years; real GDP uses all available annual observations.

Population, 1970–2025

Millions of people

5.22025 · millions of people

Population estimates may be revised. Selected years are shown.

Sources: World Bank · Population

View data table

Population: source values and plotted units
Year	People	Millions of people
1970	1,838,949	1.839
1980	2,390,633	2.391
1990	3,121,706	3.122
2000	3,937,739	3.938
2010	4,555,962	4.556
2020	5,034,320	5.034
2025	5,152,950	5.153

Real GDP, 1990–2025

Billions of constant 2015 US dollars

80.72025 · billions of constant 2015 US dollars

Constant prices adjust for inflation. This is total economic output, not current-dollar GDP or income per person. Missing years are left as gaps.

Sources: World Bank · Real GDP

View data table

Real GDP: source values and plotted units
Year	Constant 2015 US$	Billions of constant 2015 US dollars
1990	18,881,898,078	18.882
1991	19,309,696,739	19.310
1992	21,086,401,937	21.086
1993	22,582,944,136	22.583
1994	23,603,473,799	23.603
1995	24,583,951,077	24.584
1996	24,915,947,383	24.916
1997	26,280,386,016	26.280
1998	28,143,280,979	28.143
1999	29,310,608,116	29.311
2000	30,425,018,572	30.425
2001	31,487,207,734	31.487
2002	32,563,086,628	32.563
2003	33,968,893,692	33.969
2004	35,471,881,290	35.472
2005	36,882,479,644	36.882
2006	39,584,746,486	39.585
2007	42,836,685,699	42.837
2008	44,866,362,879	44.866
2009	44,474,474,900	44.474
2010	46,858,459,515	46.858
2011	48,921,712,094	48.922
2012	51,310,359,954	51.310
2013	52,590,433,350	52.590
2014	54,453,244,336	54.453
2015	56,441,920,888	56.442
2016	58,814,921,667	58.815
2017	61,260,269,164	61.260
2018	63,007,938,632	63.008
2019	64,714,281,273	64.714
2020	62,034,078,867	62.034
2021	67,132,150,844	67.132
2022	70,798,368,209	70.798
2023	74,190,939,160	74.191
2024	77,220,099,149	77.220
2025	80,741,594,727	80.742

Human development

The Human Development Index combines health, education and income. Scores range from 0 to 1.

HDI · 20230.833Very High human developmentRank 62 of 193 · 2025 report

Human Development Index over time

19900.677

20000.720

20100.776

20200.819

20230.833

80.8 yearsLife expectancy at birth

8.8 yearsMean schooling, adults aged 25+

The latest values refer to 2023. All historical scores use the same report edition. HDI does not describe every aspect of inequality or quality of life.

Sources: UNDP · Human Development Report 2025

Government

A presidential republic with an elected President and a single-chamber Legislative Assembly. The country abolished its standing army in 1948.

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile

Knowledge check

Three questions about Costa Rica.

QUESTION 1 OF 3

Which currency is listed for Costa Rica?

Sources & notes

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile

Prepared 24 September 2026. World Bank series: SP.POP.TOTL (persons) and NY.GDP.MKTP.KD (constant 2015 US dollars); downloaded 24 September 2026, provider update 13 July 2026. UNDP values use the 2025 report and 2023 observation year. These are dated statistical snapshots, not live population or economic counters.

Maps use Natural Earth geographic data. Background geography, flag descriptions and selected historical facts use archived public-domain CIA World Factbook profiles, supplemented by the sources linked above. The Factbook is no longer updated; dated statistics here come from the separately named providers.