Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income was 20.0% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income 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. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Costa Rica is 20.0%, measured in 2025.
The figure is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 7.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Costa Rica peaked at 25.1% in 1981 and was at its lowest, 18.3%, in 2010.
Costa Rica ranks 12th of 123 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 39 years of available data.
Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 25.1% | — |
| 1986 | 19.6% | -21.9% |
| 1989 | 21.2% | +8.2% |
| 1990 | 21.0% | -0.9% |
| 1991 | 22.2% | +5.7% |
| 1992 | 20.5% | -7.7% |
| 1993 | 20.1% | -2.0% |
| 1994 | 19.7% | -2.0% |
| 1995 | 20.1% | +2.0% |
| 1996 | 20.4% | +1.5% |
| 1997 | 20.1% | -1.5% |
| 1998 | 19.6% | -2.5% |
| 1999 | 20.2% | +3.1% |
| 2000 | 20.7% | +2.5% |
| 2001 | 20.9% | +1.0% |
| 2002 | 20.7% | -1.0% |
| 2003 | 21.6% | +4.3% |
| 2004 | 20.0% | -7.4% |
| 2005 | 19.6% | -2.0% |
| 2006 | 19.3% | -1.5% |
| 2007 | 18.5% | -4.1% |
| 2008 | 18.6% | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 20.2% | +8.6% |
| 2010 | 18.3% | -9.4% |
| 2011 | 20.3% | +10.9% |
| 2012 | 19.8% | -2.5% |
| 2013 | 19.6% | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 19.7% | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 18.6% | -5.6% |
| 2016 | 19.5% | +4.8% |
| 2017 | 18.7% | -4.1% |
| 2018 | 19.3% | +3.2% |
| 2019 | 19.1% | -1.0% |
| 2020 | 20.3% | +6.3% |
| 2021 | 19.6% | -3.4% |
| 2022 | 18.7% | -4.6% |
| 2023 | 19.5% | +4.3% |
| 2024 | 19.9% | +2.1% |
| 2025 | 20.0% | +0.5% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 20.0% is above the median for high income countries, which is 11.6%, 1.7× the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 20.0% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 18.0%, 1.1× the median. (20 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 22.0% | 19.6% | 25.1% | 3 |
| 1990s | 20.4% | 19.6% | 22.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 20.0% | 18.5% | 21.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.3% | 18.3% | 20.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.7% | 18.7% | 20.3% | 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 proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Costa Rica?
- Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Costa Rica was 20.0% 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 proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 25.1% in 1981.
- What is the lowest proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.3% in 2010.
- How does Costa Rica rank for proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income?
- Costa Rica ranks 12th out of 123 countries with data for 2025.
- Is proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- 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 Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The percentage of people in the population who live in households whose per capita income or consumption is below half of the median income or consumption per capita. The median is measured at 2021 Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) using the Poverty and Inequality Platform (http://www.pip.worldbank.org). For some countries, medians are not reported due to grouped and/or confidential data. The reference year is the year in which the underlying household survey data was collected. In cases for which the data collection period bridged two calendar years, the first year in which data were collected is reported.