Costa Rica vs Malta: Share of population living below national poverty lines
Costa Rica
17.1%
in 2025
Malta
16.7%
in 2021
Costa Rica rank
37th
Malta rank
38th
Share of population living below national poverty lines over time
- Costa Rica
- Malta
How they compare
Costa Rica currently reports 17.1% against 16.7% in Malta, a difference of 0.4%.
Across all 18 years both countries report, Costa Rica has been ahead every year.
Costa Rica ranks 37th and Malta ranks 38th of 70 countries.
Costa Rica has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | Malta | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 19.3% | 14.9% | 4.4% | Costa Rica |
| 2010s | 23.6% | 16.3% | 7.3% | Costa Rica |
| 2020s | 28.1% | 16.8% | 11.3% | Costa Rica |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population living below national poverty lines, Costa Rica or Malta?
- Costa Rica, at 17.1% against 16.7% in Malta as of 2025.
- What is the difference in share of population living below national poverty lines between Costa Rica and Malta?
- 0.4%, with Costa Rica ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and Malta?
- 18 years are reported by both, from 2004 to 2021.
- How do Costa Rica and Malta rank globally for share of population living below national poverty lines?
- Costa Rica ranks 37th and Malta ranks 38th of 70 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Share of population living below national poverty lines. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
National poverty headcount ratio is the percentage of the population living below the national poverty lines. National estimates are based on population-weighted subgroup estimates from household surveys.