Costa Rica vs United States of America: Relative poverty: Share of population below 50% of the median
Costa Rica
20.0%
in 2025
United States of America
18.9%
in 2024
Costa Rica rank
10th
United States of America rank
13th
Relative poverty: Share of population below 50% of the median over time
- Costa Rica
- United States of America
How they compare
Costa Rica currently reports 20.0% against 18.9% in United States of America, a difference of 1.1%.
That makes Costa Rica's figure about 1.1 times United States of America's.
Across all 38 years both countries report, Costa Rica has been ahead every year.
Costa Rica ranks 10th and United States of America ranks 13th 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 | United States of America | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 21.9% | 17.6% | 4.4% | Costa Rica |
| 1990s | 20.4% | 18.1% | 2.3% | Costa Rica |
| 2000s | 20.0% | 17.8% | 2.2% | Costa Rica |
| 2010s | 19.3% | 17.9% | 1.4% | Costa Rica |
| 2020s | 19.6% | 17.6% | 2.0% | 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 United States of America?
- Costa Rica, at 20.0% against 18.9% in United States of America as of 2025.
- What is the difference in relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median between Costa Rica and United States of America?
- 1.1%, with Costa Rica ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and United States of America?
- 38 years are reported by both, from 1981 to 2024.
- How do Costa Rica and United States of America rank globally for relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median?
- Costa Rica ranks 10th and United States of America ranks 13th 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.