Poverty: Share of population living on less than $8.30 a day in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Poverty: Share of population living on less than $8.30 a day was 9.7% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Poverty: Share of population living on less than $8.30 a day in Costa Rica, 1981–2025
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for poverty: share of population living on less than $8.30 a day in Costa Rica is 9.7%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 39 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 22.8% on the previous year and down 44.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, poverty: share of population living on less than $8.30 a day in Costa Rica peaked at 75.0% in 1981 and was at its lowest, 9.7%, in 2025.
That places Costa Rica 74th out of 120 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Poverty: Share of population living on less than $8.30 a day in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 75.0% | — |
| 1986 | 69.8% | -7.0% |
| 1989 | 51.9% | -25.6% |
| 1990 | 51.2% | -1.4% |
| 1991 | 55.8% | +9.0% |
| 1992 | 53.0% | -5.0% |
| 1993 | 45.9% | -13.4% |
| 1994 | 41.8% | -9.0% |
| 1995 | 41.9% | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 45.9% | +9.5% |
| 1997 | 42.7% | -6.9% |
| 1998 | 37.3% | -12.8% |
| 1999 | 41.3% | +10.9% |
| 2000 | 41.4% | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 32.1% | -22.4% |
| 2002 | 31.8% | -0.8% |
| 2003 | 30.4% | -4.5% |
| 2004 | 32.2% | +5.9% |
| 2005 | 29.6% | -8.2% |
| 2006 | 29.4% | -0.5% |
| 2007 | 24.3% | -17.4% |
| 2008 | 23.3% | -4.0% |
| 2009 | 22.8% | -2.2% |
| 2010 | 18.8% | -17.3% |
| 2011 | 19.8% | +5.0% |
| 2012 | 18.4% | -6.7% |
| 2013 | 18.4% | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 18.3% | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 17.5% | -4.6% |
| 2016 | 17.0% | -3.0% |
| 2017 | 15.8% | -7.1% |
| 2018 | 16.5% | +5.0% |
| 2019 | 16.7% | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 23.3% | +39.2% |
| 2021 | 17.8% | -23.4% |
| 2022 | 17.1% | -4.1% |
| 2023 | 15.3% | -10.4% |
| 2024 | 12.6% | -18.1% |
| 2025 | 9.7% | -22.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 65.6% | 51.9% | 75.0% | 3 |
| 1990s | 45.7% | 37.3% | 55.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 29.7% | 22.8% | 41.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.7% | 15.8% | 19.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 16.0% | 9.7% | 23.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
More poverty & inequality data for Costa Rica
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 10 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ 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 poverty: share of population living on less than $8.30 a day in Costa Rica?
- Poverty: share of population living on less than $8.30 a day in Costa Rica was 9.7% in 2025, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest poverty: share of population living on less than $8.30 a day recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 75.0% in 1981.
- What is the lowest poverty: share of population living on less than $8.30 a day recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.7% in 2025.
- How does Costa Rica rank for poverty: share of population living on less than $8.30 a day?
- Costa Rica ranks 74th out of 120 countries with data for 2025.
- Is poverty: share of population living on less than $8.30 a day rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 44.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Poverty: Share of population living on less than $8.30 a day. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of population living in households with an income or consumption below $8.30 per day.