Costa Rica vs Jamaica: Population in the largest city
Costa Rica
36.6%
in 2025
Jamaica
35.8%
in 2025
Costa Rica rank
52nd
Jamaica rank
55th
Population in the largest city over time
- Costa Rica
- Jamaica
How they compare
Costa Rica currently reports 36.6% against 35.8% in Jamaica, a difference of 0.8%.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 66 shared years of data; in 1960 it was Jamaica ahead.
Costa Rica ranks 52nd and Jamaica ranks 55th of 153 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, Costa Rica averaged higher in 3 and Jamaica in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | Jamaica | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 51.0% | 72.8% | 21.8% | Jamaica |
| 1970s | 50.7% | 55.7% | 5.1% | Jamaica |
| 1980s | 50.8% | 49.0% | 1.8% | Costa Rica |
| 1990s | 46.5% | 45.5% | 1.0% | Costa Rica |
| 2000s | 40.8% | 41.2% | 0.5% | Jamaica |
| 2010s | 36.1% | 38.2% | 2.1% | Jamaica |
| 2020s | 36.2% | 36.1% | 0.1% | Costa Rica |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher population in the largest city, Costa Rica or Jamaica?
- Costa Rica, at 36.6% against 35.8% in Jamaica as of 2025.
- What is the difference in population in the largest city between Costa Rica and Jamaica?
- 0.8%, with Costa Rica ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and Jamaica?
- 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
- How do Costa Rica and Jamaica rank globally for population in the largest city?
- Costa Rica ranks 52nd and Jamaica ranks 55th of 153 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN), published as Population in the largest city (% of urban population). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Population in largest city is the percentage of a country's urban population living in that country's largest metropolitan area.