Costa Rica vs Guatemala: Relative poverty: Share of population below 50% of the median
Costa Rica
20.0%
in 2025
Guatemala
19.1%
in 2023
Costa Rica rank
10th
Guatemala rank
12th
Relative poverty: Share of population below 50% of the median over time
- Costa Rica
- Guatemala
How they compare
Costa Rica currently reports 20.0% against 19.1% in Guatemala, a difference of 0.9%.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 7 shared years of data; in 1986 it was Guatemala ahead.
Costa Rica ranks 10th and Guatemala ranks 12th of 120 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, Costa Rica averaged higher in 2 and Guatemala in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | Guatemala | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 20.4% | 26.6% | 6.3% | Guatemala |
| 1990s | 19.6% | 23.8% | 4.2% | Guatemala |
| 2000s | 20.0% | 22.9% | 2.9% | Guatemala |
| 2010s | 19.7% | 19.6% | 0.1% | Costa Rica |
| 2020s | 19.5% | 19.1% | 0.4% | Costa Rica |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median, Costa Rica or Guatemala?
- Costa Rica, at 20.0% against 19.1% in Guatemala as of 2025.
- What is the difference in relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median between Costa Rica and Guatemala?
- 0.9%, with Costa Rica ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and Guatemala?
- 7 years are reported by both, from 1986 to 2023.
- How do Costa Rica and Guatemala rank globally for relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median?
- Costa Rica ranks 10th and Guatemala ranks 12th 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 Relative poverty: Share of population below 50% of the median. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Percentage of population living in households with an income or consumption below 50% of the median.