Distribution of population between different poverty lines … 2011 in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Distribution of population between different poverty lines … 2011 was 3.70 million people in 2023. ▲ Rising
Distribution of population between different poverty lines (2011 prices) in Costa Rica, 1981–2023
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
In 2023, distribution of population between different poverty lines (2011 prices) in Costa Rica stood at 3.70 million people. That is the highest value across all 37 years on record.
That represents a change of up 5.7% on the previous year and up 15.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, distribution of population between different poverty lines (2011 prices) in Costa Rica peaked at 3.70 million people in 2023 and was at its lowest, 326,905 people, in 1986.
Costa Rica ranks 63rd of 119 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 37 years of available data.
Distribution of population between different poverty lines … 2011 in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 331,184 people | — |
| 1986 | 326,905 people | -1.3% |
| 1989 | 898,937 people | +175.0% |
| 1990 | 981,488 people | +9.2% |
| 1991 | 851,636 people | -13.2% |
| 1992 | 958,399 people | +12.5% |
| 1993 | 1.21 million people | +26.3% |
| 1994 | 1.40 million people | +15.7% |
| 1995 | 1.40 million people | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 1.32 million people | -5.5% |
| 1997 | 1.45 million people | +9.5% |
| 1998 | 1.68 million people | +16.2% |
| 1999 | 1.58 million people | -5.8% |
| 2000 | 1.63 million people | +3.3% |
| 2001 | 2.06 million people | +26.2% |
| 2002 | 2.11 million people | +2.1% |
| 2003 | 2.23 million people | +5.8% |
| 2004 | 2.15 million people | -3.4% |
| 2005 | 2.29 million people | +6.3% |
| 2006 | 2.31 million people | +1.0% |
| 2007 | 2.58 million people | +11.4% |
| 2008 | 2.63 million people | +2.3% |
| 2009 | 2.75 million people | +4.5% |
| 2010 | 2.98 million people | +8.4% |
| 2011 | 3.03 million people | +1.7% |
| 2012 | 3.16 million people | +4.2% |
| 2013 | 3.22 million people | +1.7% |
| 2014 | 3.23 million people | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 3.32 million people | +2.8% |
| 2016 | 3.39 million people | +2.3% |
| 2017 | 3.49 million people | +3.0% |
| 2018 | 3.49 million people | -0.0% |
| 2019 | 3.49 million people | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 3.08 million people | -11.7% |
| 2021 | 3.44 million people | +11.8% |
| 2022 | 3.50 million people | +1.7% |
| 2023 | 3.70 million people | +5.7% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 3.70 million people is below the median for high income countries, which is 8.78 million people, 42% of the median. (41 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 3.70 million people is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 3.89 million people, 95% of the median. (19 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Distribution of population between different poverty lines … 2011 in Costa Rica changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | +175.0% | 326,905 people | 898,937 people |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 519,009 people | 326,905 people | 898,937 people | 3 |
| 1990s | 1.28 million people | 851,636 people | 1.68 million people | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.27 million people | 1.63 million people | 2.75 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.28 million people | 2.98 million people | 3.49 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.43 million people | 3.08 million people | 3.70 million people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
More poverty & inequality data for Costa Rica
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 10 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 1.33 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 3,807 kg per hectare (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate -14.41 % change on previous year (2024)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 24.93 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 24.9% (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is distribution of population between different poverty lines (2011 prices) in Costa Rica?
- Distribution of population between different poverty lines (2011 prices) in Costa Rica was 3.70 million people in 2023, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest distribution of population between different poverty lines (2011 prices) recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 3.70 million people in 2023.
- What is the lowest distribution of population between different poverty lines (2011 prices) recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 326,905 people in 1986.
- How does Costa Rica rank for distribution of population between different poverty lines (2011 prices)?
- Costa Rica ranks 63rd out of 119 countries with data for 2023.
- Is distribution of population between different poverty lines (2011 prices) rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Distribution of population between different poverty lines (2011 prices). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 37 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of people living in households with an income or consumption above $10 per day.