Costa Rica — Country Profile
Population, GDP, natural resources, leaders and history of Costa Rica: the Magna Factbook country file, with its Magna Power score (--/100, ranked #-- of 195).
Last updated: October 2026
Costa Rica is in Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Nicaragua and Panama. It covers 51,100 sq km. Terrain: coastal plains separated by rugged mountains including over 100 volcanic cones, of which several are major active volcanoes. Climate: tropical and subtropical; dry season (December to April); rainy season (May to November); cooler in highlands.
| Capital | San José |
|---|---|
| Population | 5,304,932 (2025 est.) |
| GDP (PPP) | $138.371 billion (2024 est.) |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $27,000 (2024 est.) |
| Real GDP growth | 4.3% (2024 est.) |
| Inflation | -0.4% (2024 est.) |
| Unemployment | 7.9% (2024 est.) |
| Public debt | 48.9% of GDP (2017 est.) |
| Exports | $36.77 billion (2024 est.) |
| Imports | $30.459 billion (2024 est.) |
| Life expectancy | 80.3 years (2024 est.) |
| Median age | 36 years (2025 est.) |
| Urbanization | 82.6% of total population (2023) |
| Government | presidential republic |
| Independence | 15 September 1821 (from Spain) |
| Languages | Spanish (official), English |
Costa Rica’s GDP is $138.371 billion (2024 est.) in purchasing-power-parity terms. At official exchange rates it stands at $95.35 billion (2024 est.). Real GDP grew 4.3% (2024 est.). See where Costa Rica ranks among all 195 countries by GDP.
POWER --/100 — The Magna Power score is our 0–100 composite of structural national power — nine components, 135 indicators. It is the Bureau's own assessment, not a mirror of World Bank or CIA figures.
Momentum +3 — Quarterly momentum: the Bureau's read on the country's trajectory over the last quarter, from −10 (deteriorating fast) to +10 (accelerating).
Continuity held in San José: steady services and tech exports, the crime-fighting agenda advancing without institutional rupture.
A small, stable democracy executing its plan — modestly positive, as the score says.
- What our model rewards: inflation tamed at 0.4%; 94% of its electricity from low-carbon sources
- What drags it down: few natural resources to fall back on; fertility of 1.4 children per woman — below replacement, the cradle is emptying
Hydropower.
Energy is the physical base of economic power — what a country can generate, move and burn decides what it can build, sell and defend.
| Electricity access | 100% (2022 est.) |
|---|---|
| Installed capacity mix (CIA) | fossil fuels: 0.1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); solar: 0.7% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); wind: 12.7% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); hydroelectricity: 72.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); geothermal: 13.1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) |
| Energy consumption per capita (CIA) | 30.725 million Btu/person (2023 est.) |
| Electricity generation (OWID) | 12.4 TWh (2024) |
| Electricity generation mix (OWID) | Hydro 70.1%, Wind 10.2%, Oil 6.0%, Solar 0.6% (2024) |
| Low-carbon share of electricity (OWID) | 94.0% (2024) |
| Carbon intensity of electricity (OWID) | 63.0 gCO2/kWh (2024) |
Sources: CIA World Factbook, Energy section; Our World in Data (IEA/Ember), 2024.
Trade shows what the world buys from a country and what the country must buy from the world — the balance between the two is a direct measure of economic leverage.
| Exports | $36.77 billion (2024 est.) |
|---|---|
| Imports | $30.459 billion (2024 est.) |
| Trade balance (calculated) | Surplus of $6.3 billion (2024), calculated from the CIA export and import figures above. |
| Key industries | medical equipment, food processing, textiles and clothing, construction materials, fertilizer, plastic products |
Source: CIA World Factbook, Economy section.
Laura Fernández Delgado — President. President Rodrigo CHAVES Robles (since 8 May 2022)
Costa Rica maintains 42 embassies and 5 consulates abroad, hosts 39 foreign diplomatic missions, holds permanent missions to UN New York, OAS Washington. The breadth of a diplomatic network is a direct measure of diplomatic power — it shows how far a country’s influence, alliances and interests reach.
| Embassies abroad | 42 |
|---|---|
| Consulates abroad | 5 |
| Foreign missions hosted | 39 |
| Multilateral missions | UN New York, OAS Washington |
Source: Lowy Institute Global Diplomacy Index 2024 via Wikipedia 'List of countries by number of diplomatic missions' https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_number_of_diplomatic_missions ; hosted: Consular Affairs Center Jan 2026 report (in-country ranking) https://zenodo.org/records/18109976
Transport networks are economic power made physical — ports, runways, railways and pipelines decide what a country can move, sell and defend.
| Sea access | Coastal — 1290 km of coastline. |
|---|---|
| Airports (total) | 132 + 8 heliports (registration prefix TI) |
| Major seaports | Golfito, Puerto Caldera, Puerto Limon, Puerto Moin, Puerto Quepos, Puntarenas |
| Railways | 278 km |
| Pipelines | 662 km refined products (2013) |
| Top container ports (TEU) | Puerto Limon (1,319,372 TEU) |
Major airports
Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport (LIR) — Liberia; Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) — San José (Alajuela); Golfito Airport (GLF) — Golfito; La Fortuna Arenal Airport (FON) — La Fortuna; Limón International Airport (LIO) — Limón; Nosara Airport (NOB) — Nicoya; Puerto Jimenez Airport (PJM) — Puerto Jimenez; Quepos Managua Airport (XQP) — Quepos; Tobías Bolaños International Airport (SYQ) — San Jose.
Sources: OurAirports public-domain extract (2026-10-02); per-entry Wikipedia links included; CIA World Factbook via cia_factbook snapshot (2026-09-28); theodora.com CIA mirror (CIA World Factbook Transportation section), scraped 2026-10-02
| Political system | presidential republic |
|---|---|
| Next election | No election currently scheduled. |
POWER --/100 Ranked #-- of 195 countries in the Magna Country Rankings. Full ranking breakdown for Costa Rica.
Historical timeline of Costa Rica
This profile covers the population, economy, natural resources, leaders, and history of Costa Rica — with the Bureau’s live national-power score of --/100, ranking #-- of 195 countries.
What is Costa Rica's power score?
Costa Rica has a Magna Power score of --/100. The score measures structural power — the proven capacity to shape events — across nine components.