Costa Rica vs Panama: Number of people living in extreme poverty
Costa Rica
5.11 million people
in 2025
Panama
4.37 million people
in 2024
Costa Rica rank
92nd
Panama rank
95th
Number of people living in extreme poverty over time
- Costa Rica
- Panama
How they compare
Costa Rica currently reports 5.11 million people against 4.37 million people in Panama, a difference of 739,630 people.
That makes Costa Rica's figure about 1.2 times Panama's.
Across all 29 years both countries report, Costa Rica has been ahead every year.
Costa Rica ranks 92nd and Panama ranks 95th of 120 countries.
Costa Rica has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | Panama | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 2.61 million people | 1.69 million people | 917,420 people | Costa Rica |
| 1990s | 3.24 million people | 2.20 million people | 1.04 million people | Costa Rica |
| 2000s | 3.99 million people | 2.81 million people | 1.17 million people | Costa Rica |
| 2010s | 4.68 million people | 3.72 million people | 956,785 people | Costa Rica |
| 2020s | 5.01 million people | 4.29 million people | 724,313 people | Costa Rica |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher number of people living in extreme poverty, Costa Rica or Panama?
- Costa Rica, at 5.11 million people against 4.37 million people in Panama as of 2025.
- What is the difference in number of people living in extreme poverty between Costa Rica and Panama?
- 739,630 people, with Costa Rica ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and Panama?
- 29 years are reported by both, from 1989 to 2024.
- How do Costa Rica and Panama rank globally for number of people living in extreme poverty?
- Costa Rica ranks 92nd and Panama ranks 95th of 120 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Number of people living in extreme poverty. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Number of people living in households with an income or consumption above $3 per day.