Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million was 1.50 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million in Costa Rica, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
Costa Rica recorded 1.50 million for population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.4% on the previous year and up 15.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million in Costa Rica peaked at 1.50 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 229,792, in 1960.
That places Costa Rica 105th out of 121 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 229,792 | — |
| 1961 | 240,155 | +4.5% |
| 1962 | 251,001 | +4.5% |
| 1963 | 262,364 | +4.5% |
| 1964 | 274,348 | +4.6% |
| 1965 | 286,844 | +4.6% |
| 1966 | 299,928 | +4.6% |
| 1967 | 313,608 | +4.6% |
| 1968 | 327,933 | +4.6% |
| 1969 | 342,870 | +4.6% |
| 1970 | 358,509 | +4.6% |
| 1971 | 374,861 | +4.6% |
| 1972 | 391,984 | +4.6% |
| 1973 | 409,364 | +4.4% |
| 1974 | 424,290 | +3.6% |
| 1975 | 439,760 | +3.6% |
| 1976 | 455,817 | +3.7% |
| 1977 | 472,413 | +3.6% |
| 1978 | 489,638 | +3.6% |
| 1979 | 507,491 | +3.6% |
| 1980 | 526,020 | +3.7% |
| 1981 | 545,173 | +3.6% |
| 1982 | 565,050 | +3.6% |
| 1983 | 585,653 | +3.6% |
| 1984 | 606,945 | +3.6% |
| 1985 | 627,401 | +3.4% |
| 1986 | 648,576 | +3.4% |
| 1987 | 670,465 | +3.4% |
| 1988 | 693,125 | +3.4% |
| 1989 | 716,486 | +3.4% |
| 1990 | 740,667 | +3.4% |
| 1991 | 765,665 | +3.4% |
| 1992 | 791,543 | +3.4% |
| 1993 | 818,220 | +3.4% |
| 1994 | 845,835 | +3.4% |
| 1995 | 874,383 | +3.4% |
| 1996 | 903,935 | +3.4% |
| 1997 | 934,400 | +3.4% |
| 1998 | 965,936 | +3.4% |
| 1999 | 998,537 | +3.4% |
| 2000 | 1.03 million | +3.4% |
| 2001 | 1.05 million | +1.5% |
| 2002 | 1.06 million | +1.5% |
| 2003 | 1.08 million | +1.5% |
| 2004 | 1.10 million | +1.5% |
| 2005 | 1.11 million | +1.5% |
| 2006 | 1.13 million | +1.5% |
| 2007 | 1.15 million | +1.5% |
| 2008 | 1.17 million | +1.5% |
| 2009 | 1.18 million | +1.5% |
| 2010 | 1.20 million | +1.5% |
| 2011 | 1.22 million | +1.5% |
| 2012 | 1.24 million | +1.5% |
| 2013 | 1.26 million | +1.5% |
| 2014 | 1.28 million | +1.5% |
| 2015 | 1.30 million | +1.5% |
| 2016 | 1.32 million | +1.5% |
| 2017 | 1.34 million | +1.5% |
| 2018 | 1.36 million | +1.5% |
| 2019 | 1.38 million | +1.5% |
| 2020 | 1.40 million | +1.5% |
| 2021 | 1.42 million | +1.5% |
| 2022 | 1.44 million | +1.5% |
| 2023 | 1.46 million | +1.4% |
| 2024 | 1.48 million | +1.4% |
| 2025 | 1.50 million | +1.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 282,884 | 229,792 | 342,870 | 10 |
| 1970s | 432,413 | 358,509 | 507,491 | 10 |
| 1980s | 618,489 | 526,020 | 716,486 | 10 |
| 1990s | 863,912 | 740,667 | 998,537 | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.11 million | 1.03 million | 1.18 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.29 million | 1.20 million | 1.38 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.45 million | 1.40 million | 1.50 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
More urban development data for Costa Rica
- Population in the largest city 36.6% (2025)
- Population density 99.99 people per sq. km of land area (2023)
- PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure 17.7 micrograms per cubic meter (2023)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per capita 0.2916 units per person (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, annual 1.36 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per unit 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per square 28.63 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Population in largest city 1.50 million (2025)
- Crude steelmaking capacity 0 Tonnes (2025)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 23 - Ecological 32.51 Hectares (2020)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million in Costa Rica?
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million in Costa Rica was 1.50 million in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 1.50 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 229,792 in 1960.
- How does Costa Rica rank for population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million?
- Costa Rica ranks 105th out of 121 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN), published as part of Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Population in urban agglomerations of more than one million is the country's population living in metropolitan areas that in 2018 had a population of more than one million people.