World median is the middle country on each statistic: half of all countries with data are above it, half below. It is not an average, so it is never pulled up or down by giants or microstates.
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Costa Rica fits inside the median country 2.2 times.
Costa Rica: 51,100 km² (2023) · World median: 111,370 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Costa Rica’s coastline is 2.9 times as long as the median country’s.
Costa Rica: 1,290 km (2026 edition) · World median: 440 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Costa Rica’s highest peak towers 1,484 m above the median country’s.
Costa Rica: 3,819 m (2026 edition) · World median: 2,335 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The median country has 44% more people than Costa Rica.
Costa Rica: 5.15 million (2025) · World median: 7.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Costa Rica is 3% more densely populated than the median country.
Costa Rica: 101 per km² (2025) · World median: 98 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Costa Rica and the median country are practically level.
Costa Rica: 174 cm (2019) · World median: 173.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
The median country and Costa Rica are practically level.
Costa Rica: 160.4 cm (2019) · World median: 160.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Costa Rica is 2.9 years older than in the median country.
Costa Rica: 34.1 years (2023) · World median: 31.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the median country have 0.6 more children on average than in Costa Rica.
Costa Rica: 1.32 children per woman (2024) · World median: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
13% of people in Costa Rica are 65 or older, versus 8.6% in the median country.
Costa Rica: 12.8% (2025) · World median: 8.6% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Costa Rica has produced 1.9 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the median country 0.0.
Costa Rica: 1.9 (2025) · World median: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Costa Rica and the median country are practically level.
Costa Rica: 1 (2026) · World median: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Costa Rica’s economy is 2.3 times the size of the median country’s.
Costa Rica: $103 billion (2025) · World median: $45.5 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Costa Rica produces 60% more per person than the median country.
Costa Rica: Int$33,815 (2025) · World median: Int$21,072 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Costa Rica than in the median country (Gini 11.1 points higher).
Costa Rica: 45.5 (2025) · World median: 34.4 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 6.8% in Costa Rica, versus 5.1% in the median country.
Costa Rica: 6.8% (2025) · World median: 5.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Costa Rica: no data · World median: 1.7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Costa Rica’s price level (US = 100) is 1.3× the median country’s.
Costa Rica: 59% (2025) · World median: 45% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Costa Rica spends 2.5 times as much on health per person as the median country.
Costa Rica: $1,163 (2023) · World median: $470 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Costa Rica live 6.4 years longer than in the median country.
Costa Rica: 81 years (2024) · World median: 74.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the median country is 39% more likely to die before turning one than in Costa Rica.
Costa Rica: 9.1 per 1,000 (2024) · World median: 12.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Costa Rica has 60% more doctors per person than the median country.
Costa Rica: 2.7 per 1,000 (2022) · World median: 1.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
33% of adults in Costa Rica are obese, versus 24% in the median country.
Costa Rica: 33.4% (2024) · World median: 24% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
19% of adults in the median country smoke, versus 7.9% in Costa Rica.
Costa Rica: 7.9% (2024) · World median: 19% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Costa Rica rate their lives 1.61 points higher than in the median country.
Costa Rica: 7.44 (2025) · World median: 5.83 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the median country drink 10% more alcohol than in Costa Rica.
Costa Rica: 4 litres (2023) · World median: 4.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Costa Rica has 14% more meat per person than the median country.
Costa Rica: 64.1 kg (2023) · World median: 56.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Costa Rica has 123 kcal more food per person per day than the median country.
Costa Rica: 3,061 kcal (2023) · World median: 2,938 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Costa Rica put in 203 more hours a year than in the median country.
Costa Rica: 2,177 hours (2023) · World median: 1,974 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the median country went to school 1.1 years longer than in Costa Rica.
Costa Rica: 8.8 years (2023) · World median: 9.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Costa Rica welcomed 65% more tourists per resident than the median country (2019).
Costa Rica: 0.57 (2024) · World median: 0.34 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
87% of people in Costa Rica are online, versus 82% in the median country.
Costa Rica: 87% (2024) · World median: 82% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
The median country and Costa Rica are practically level.
Costa Rica: 99.8% (2024) · World median: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
80% of people in Costa Rica live in cities, versus 64% in the median country.
Costa Rica: 80% (2025) · World median: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Costa Rica has 136 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the median country 115.
Costa Rica: 136 (2024) · World median: 115 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The median country’s railway network is 7.7 times as long as Costa Rica’s.
Costa Rica: 278 km (2014) · World median: 2,141 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Costa Rica fly 60% more passengers per resident than those from the median country.
Costa Rica: 0.38 (2023) · World median: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 60% of Costa Rica, but only 31% of the median country.
Costa Rica: 60.4% (2023) · World median: 31.2% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the median country emits 75% more CO₂ than someone in Costa Rica.
Costa Rica: 1.7 t (2024) · World median: 3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
100% of Costa Rica’s electricity is renewable, versus 31% in the median country.
Costa Rica: 100% (2025) · World median: 30.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Costa Rica carries 22% more fine dust than in the median country.
Costa Rica: 20.3 µg/m³ (2024) · World median: 16.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 7.9 times as likely to be murdered in Costa Rica as in the median country.
Costa Rica: 17.7 per 100k (2023) · World median: 2.3 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Costa Rica are 26% deadlier than in the median country.
Costa Rica: 15.5 per 100k (2021) · World median: 12.3 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Costa Rica is on average 0.4 °C warmer than the median country.
Costa Rica: 23.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 23°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Costa Rica gets 3.3 times as much rain as the median country.
Costa Rica: 3,367 mm (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 1,014 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Costa Rica bigger than the median country?
The median country is larger. Costa Rica fits inside the median country 2.2 times.
Which has more people, Costa Rica or the median country?
The median country has 44% more people than Costa Rica (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Costa Rica or the median country?
People in Costa Rica live 6.4 years longer than in the median country. Life expectancy at birth is 81.0 years in Costa Rica and 74.6 in the median country.
Are people taller in Costa Rica or the median country?
Costa Rica and the median country are practically level (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
