Country profile
Costa Rica
Republic of Costa Rica · Central America
👥 Population
5,152,950
World Bank · 2025
🏛 Capital
San José
🗺 Area
51,100 km²
💹 GDP (nominal)
$102.9B
World Bank · 2025
📈 HDI
0.833
UNDP · 2023
📍 Pop. density
101 /km²
💱 Currency
CRC
Costa Rican colón
🗣 Languages
Spanish
About Costa Rica
Costa Rica (officially Republic of Costa Rica) is a country in Central America, with San José as its capital. It is home to roughly 5.15 million people, giving a population density of about 101 people per square kilometre. The country covers 51,100 km² of land and shares land borders with 2 neighbouring countries. Its economy is valued at approximately $102.9B in nominal GDP (2025), and it records a Human Development Index of 0.833. The official currency is the Costa Rican colón (CRC), and the main language is Spanish.
Key indicators
Latest available data · World Bank & UNDP.
💹 Economy
GDP (PPP)
$159.57B
GDP/capita (PPP)
$31,107
GDP growth
4.6%
Inflation
-0.1%
Unemployment
6.8%
👥 People
Life expectancy
81.0 yrs
Fertility rate
1.32
Pop. growth
0.4%
Urban population
79.7%
Infant mortality /1k
9.1
🌍 Quality of Life
Internet users
87.2%
Literacy rate
97.4%
Physicians /1k
2.69
Renewable energy
34.2%
Travel & practical
Capital
San José
Currency
CRC
Dialing code
+506
Internet TLD
.cr
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Fun facts about Costa Rica
- Costa Rica is the 124th most populous country in the world, with about 5.15 million people.
- By land area it is the 126th-largest country in the world, covering 51,100 km².
- It has the world's 73rd-largest economy by nominal GDP ($102.9B).
- Costa Rica shares land borders with 2 countries.
- It is classed by the UN as a country of very high human development, with an HDI of 0.833.
- Costa Rica has a population density of about 101 people per square kilometre.
Nicaragua
Panama
Guatemala
Honduras
El Salvador
Belize
United States
Brazil
Mexico
Colombia