Costa Rica vs Portugal: Share of population living below national poverty lines
Costa Rica
17.1%
in 2025
Portugal
16.4%
in 2021
Costa Rica rank
37th
Portugal rank
40th
Share of population living below national poverty lines over time
- Costa Rica
- Portugal
How they compare
Costa Rica currently reports 17.1% against 16.4% in Portugal, a difference of 0.7%.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 19 shared years of data; in 2003 it was Portugal ahead.
Costa Rica ranks 37th and Portugal ranks 40th 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 | Portugal | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 19.2% | 18.7% | 0.5% | Costa Rica |
| 2010s | 23.6% | 18.2% | 5.4% | Costa Rica |
| 2020s | 28.1% | 17.4% | 10.7% | 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 Portugal?
- Costa Rica, at 17.1% against 16.4% in Portugal as of 2025.
- What is the difference in share of population living below national poverty lines between Costa Rica and Portugal?
- 0.7%, with Costa Rica ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and Portugal?
- 19 years are reported by both, from 2003 to 2021.
- How do Costa Rica and Portugal rank globally for share of population living below national poverty lines?
- Costa Rica ranks 37th and Portugal ranks 40th 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.