Costa Rica vs El Salvador: Distribution of population between different poverty lines
Costa Rica
4.39 million people
in 2025
El Salvador
3.79 million people
in 2023
Costa Rica rank
69th
El Salvador rank
71st
Distribution of population between different poverty lines over time
- Costa Rica
- El Salvador
How they compare
Costa Rica currently reports 4.39 million people against 3.79 million people in El Salvador, a difference of 604,070 people.
That makes Costa Rica's figure about 1.2 times El Salvador's.
The two have swapped places 5 times across 29 shared years of data; in 1989 it was El Salvador ahead.
Costa Rica ranks 69th and El Salvador ranks 71st of 120 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, Costa Rica averaged higher in 4 and El Salvador in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | El Salvador | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.17 million people | 1.49 million people | 317,520 people | El Salvador |
| 1990s | 1.69 million people | 1.65 million people | 35,418 people | Costa Rica |
| 2000s | 2.64 million people | 2.10 million people | 535,370 people | Costa Rica |
| 2010s | 3.62 million people | 2.61 million people | 1.01 million people | Costa Rica |
| 2020s | 3.89 million people | 3.63 million people | 264,077 people | Costa Rica |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher distribution of population between different poverty lines, Costa Rica or El Salvador?
- Costa Rica, at 4.39 million people against 3.79 million people in El Salvador as of 2025.
- What is the difference in distribution of population between different poverty lines between Costa Rica and El Salvador?
- 604,070 people, with Costa Rica ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and El Salvador?
- 29 years are reported by both, from 1989 to 2023.
- How do Costa Rica and El Salvador rank globally for distribution of population between different poverty lines?
- Costa Rica ranks 69th and El Salvador ranks 71st 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 Distribution of population between different poverty lines. 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 $10 per day.