The share and number of people living in extreme poverty in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: The share and number of people living in extreme poverty was 0.8% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
The share and number of people living in extreme poverty 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 the share and number of people living in extreme poverty in Costa Rica is 0.8%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 39 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 41.2% on the previous year and down 69.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, the share and number of people living in extreme poverty in Costa Rica peaked at 33.5% in 1981 and was at its lowest, 0.8%, in 2025.
That places Costa Rica 73rd 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.
The share and number of people living in extreme poverty in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 33.5% | — |
| 1986 | 19.3% | -42.5% |
| 1989 | 14.4% | -25.3% |
| 1990 | 13.9% | -3.6% |
| 1991 | 17.1% | +23.5% |
| 1992 | 13.8% | -19.5% |
| 1993 | 11.8% | -14.5% |
| 1994 | 9.4% | -20.4% |
| 1995 | 10.6% | +12.9% |
| 1996 | 11.7% | +10.9% |
| 1997 | 9.1% | -22.8% |
| 1998 | 7.5% | -17.6% |
| 1999 | 9.3% | +24.2% |
| 2000 | 9.8% | +5.3% |
| 2001 | 7.6% | -22.2% |
| 2002 | 6.6% | -13.6% |
| 2003 | 6.9% | +4.7% |
| 2004 | 6.6% | -4.1% |
| 2005 | 5.0% | -23.5% |
| 2006 | 5.2% | +2.3% |
| 2007 | 3.1% | -39.1% |
| 2008 | 3.4% | +7.4% |
| 2009 | 3.6% | +7.0% |
| 2010 | 2.2% | -38.8% |
| 2011 | 2.7% | +23.3% |
| 2012 | 2.6% | -5.9% |
| 2013 | 2.6% | +3.1% |
| 2014 | 2.4% | -9.6% |
| 2015 | 2.4% | +2.2% |
| 2016 | 2.4% | -1.5% |
| 2017 | 1.7% | -27.2% |
| 2018 | 2.3% | +32.7% |
| 2019 | 1.7% | -25.5% |
| 2020 | 3.4% | +93.8% |
| 2021 | 2.2% | -35.6% |
| 2022 | 1.6% | -26.0% |
| 2023 | 1.5% | -3.7% |
| 2024 | 1.3% | -16.6% |
| 2025 | 0.8% | -41.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 22.4% | 14.4% | 33.5% | 3 |
| 1990s | 11.4% | 7.5% | 17.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.8% | 3.1% | 9.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.3% | 1.7% | 2.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.8% | 0.8% | 3.4% | 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 the share and number of people living in extreme poverty in Costa Rica?
- The share and number of people living in extreme poverty in Costa Rica was 0.8% in 2025, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest the share and number of people living in extreme poverty recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 33.5% in 1981.
- What is the lowest the share and number of people living in extreme poverty recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.8% in 2025.
- How does Costa Rica rank for the share and number of people living in extreme poverty?
- Costa Rica ranks 73rd out of 120 countries with data for 2025.
- Is the share and number of people living in extreme poverty rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 69.1%. 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 The share and number of people living in extreme poverty. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Percentage of population living in households with an income or consumption below $3 per day.