Gini index in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Gini index was 45.5 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Gini index in Costa Rica, 1981–2025
Source: World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income econ.
Analysis
Costa Rica recorded 45.5 for gini index in 2025.
That represents a change of down 0.7% on the previous year and down 6.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gini index in Costa Rica peaked at 51.8 in 2002 and was at its lowest, 34.4, in 1986.
Costa Rica ranks 11th of 123 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 39 years of available data.
Gini index in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 47.5 | — |
| 1986 | 34.4 | -27.6% |
| 1989 | 45.5 | +32.3% |
| 1990 | 45.2 | -0.7% |
| 1991 | 46.6 | +3.1% |
| 1992 | 45.6 | -2.1% |
| 1993 | 45.9 | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 46.7 | +1.7% |
| 1995 | 45.7 | -2.1% |
| 1996 | 46.5 | +1.8% |
| 1997 | 45.6 | -1.9% |
| 1998 | 45.6 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 47.6 | +4.4% |
| 2000 | 47.4 | -0.4% |
| 2001 | 51.5 | +8.6% |
| 2002 | 51.8 | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 49.3 | -4.8% |
| 2004 | 48.4 | -1.8% |
| 2005 | 47.5 | -1.9% |
| 2006 | 49.3 | +3.8% |
| 2007 | 49.3 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 48.6 | -1.4% |
| 2009 | 50.6 | +4.1% |
| 2010 | 48 | -5.1% |
| 2011 | 48.8 | +1.7% |
| 2012 | 48.4 | -0.8% |
| 2013 | 49.2 | +1.7% |
| 2014 | 48.6 | -1.2% |
| 2015 | 48.4 | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 48.7 | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 48.3 | -0.8% |
| 2018 | 48 | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 48.2 | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 49.2 | +2.1% |
| 2021 | 48.7 | -1.0% |
| 2022 | 47.2 | -3.1% |
| 2023 | 46.7 | -1.1% |
| 2024 | 45.8 | -1.9% |
| 2025 | 45.5 | -0.7% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 45.5 is above the median for high income countries, which is 32.05, 1.4× the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 45.5 is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 43.6, 1.0× the median. (20 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Gini index 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 | +32.3% | 34.4 | 45.5 |
| 1986 | -27.6% | 47.5 | 34.4 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 42.47 | 34.4 | 47.5 | 3 |
| 1990s | 46.1 | 45.2 | 47.6 | 10 |
| 2000s | 49.37 | 47.4 | 51.8 | 10 |
| 2010s | 48.46 | 48 | 49.2 | 10 |
| 2020s | 47.18 | 45.5 | 49.2 | 6 |
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 gini index in Costa Rica?
- Gini index in Costa Rica was 45.5 in 2025, according to World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income econ.
- What is the highest gini index recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 51.8 in 2002.
- What is the lowest gini index recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 34.4 in 1986.
- How does Costa Rica rank for gini index?
- Costa Rica ranks 11th out of 123 countries with data for 2025.
- Is gini index rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.0%. 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. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income econ, published as part of Gini index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 39 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Gini index measures the extent to which the distribution of income (or, in some cases, consumption expenditure) among individuals or households within an economy deviates from a perfectly equal distribution. A Lorenz curve plots the cumulative percentages of total income received against the cumulative number of recipients, starting with the poorest individual or household. The Gini index measures the area between the Lorenz curve and a hypothetical line of absolute equality, expressed as a percentage of the maximum area under the line. Thus a Gini index of 0 represents perfect equality, while an index of 100 implies perfect inequality.