Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income was 20.0% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Costa Rica, 1981–2025
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
Analysis
The most recent figure for proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Costa Rica is 20.0%, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 7.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Costa Rica peaked at 25.1% in 1981 and was at its lowest, 18.3%, in 2010.
That places Costa Rica 10th out of 130 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 39 years of available data.
Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 25.1% | — |
| 1986 | 19.6% | -21.9% |
| 1989 | 21.2% | +8.2% |
| 1990 | 21.0% | -0.9% |
| 1991 | 22.2% | +5.7% |
| 1992 | 20.5% | -7.7% |
| 1993 | 20.1% | -2.0% |
| 1994 | 19.7% | -2.0% |
| 1995 | 20.1% | +2.0% |
| 1996 | 20.4% | +1.5% |
| 1997 | 20.1% | -1.5% |
| 1998 | 19.6% | -2.5% |
| 1999 | 20.2% | +3.1% |
| 2000 | 20.7% | +2.5% |
| 2001 | 20.9% | +1.0% |
| 2002 | 20.7% | -1.0% |
| 2003 | 21.6% | +4.3% |
| 2004 | 20.0% | -7.4% |
| 2005 | 19.6% | -2.0% |
| 2006 | 19.3% | -1.5% |
| 2007 | 18.5% | -4.1% |
| 2008 | 18.6% | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 20.2% | +8.6% |
| 2010 | 18.3% | -9.4% |
| 2011 | 20.3% | +10.9% |
| 2012 | 19.8% | -2.5% |
| 2013 | 19.6% | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 19.7% | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 18.6% | -5.6% |
| 2016 | 19.5% | +4.8% |
| 2017 | 18.7% | -4.1% |
| 2018 | 19.3% | +3.2% |
| 2019 | 19.1% | -1.0% |
| 2020 | 20.3% | +6.3% |
| 2021 | 19.6% | -3.4% |
| 2022 | 18.7% | -4.6% |
| 2023 | 19.5% | +4.3% |
| 2024 | 19.9% | +2.1% |
| 2025 | 20.0% | +0.5% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 20.0% is above the median for high income countries, which is 11.7%, 1.7× the median. (41 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 20.0% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 17.8%, 1.1× the median. (18 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 22.0% | 19.6% | 25.1% | 3 |
| 1990s | 20.4% | 19.6% | 22.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 20.0% | 18.5% | 21.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.3% | 18.3% | 20.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.7% | 18.7% | 20.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
More infrastructure data for Costa Rica
- Mobile cellular subscriptions 6.98 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions 136.03 per 100 people (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions 610,457 (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions 11.9 per 100 people (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, per capita 0.119 units per person (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, annual growth rate -3.43 % change on previous year (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, gaps filled 610,457 (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, per capita 1.36 units per person (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Costa Rica?
- Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Costa Rica was 20.0% in 2025, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 25.1% in 1981.
- What is the lowest proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.3% in 2010.
- How does Costa Rica rank for proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income?
- Costa Rica ranks 10th out of 130 countries with data for 2025.
- Is proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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