What is arable land use per person in Costa Rica?

Arable land use per person in Costa Rica was 0.0327 hectares per person in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest arable land use per person recorded in Costa Rica?

The highest recorded value was 0.2068 hectares per person in 1961.

What is the lowest arable land use per person recorded in Costa Rica?

The lowest recorded value was 0.0327 hectares per person in 2023.

How does Costa Rica rank for arable land use per person?

Costa Rica ranks 156th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.

Is arable land use per person rising or falling in Costa Rica?

Over the last ten years it is down 33.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.

Where does this Costa Rica data come from?

The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Arable land use per person. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Arable land use per person in Costa Rica

Name: Arable land use per person in Costa Rica
Creator: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

Costa Rica: Arable land use per person was 0.0327 hectares per person in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)

0.0327 hectares per person

Change on year

down 0.5%

World rank

156th

of 206 countries

All-time high

0.2068 hectares per person

in 1961

All-time low

0.0327 hectares per person

in 2023

Years of data

1961–2023

Arable land use per person in Costa Rica, 1961–2023

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares per person.

Analysis

The most recent figure for arable land use per person in Costa Rica is 0.0327 hectares per person, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.5% on the previous year and down 33.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, arable land use per person in Costa Rica peaked at 0.2068 hectares per person in 1961 and was at its lowest, 0.0327 hectares per person, in 2023.

That places Costa Rica 156th out of 206 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1960s	0.1811 hectares per person	0.1593 hectares per person	0.2068 hectares per person	9
1970s	0.1376 hectares per person	0.1216 hectares per person	0.155 hectares per person	10
1980s	0.1044 hectares per person	0.0854 hectares per person	0.1184 hectares per person	10
1990s	0.0665 hectares per person	0.0555 hectares per person	0.0833 hectares per person	10
2000s	0.0493 hectares per person	0.045 hectares per person	0.0533 hectares per person	10
2010s	0.0451 hectares per person	0.0356 hectares per person	0.0503 hectares per person	10
2020s	0.033 hectares per person	0.0327 hectares per person	0.0332 hectares per person	4

Countries ranked near Costa Rica

153 Liechtenstein 0.0434 hectares per person compare
154 Antigua and Barbuda 0.0429 hectares per person compare
155 Jamaica 0.0423 hectares per person compare
157 Japan 0.0325 hectares per person compare
158 Papua New Guinea 0.0318 hectares per person compare
159 Yemen 0.0294 hectares per person compare

See the full ranking of 206 places →

More environment data for Costa Rica

Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 17.08 Mt CO2e (2024)
Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 3.33 t CO2e/capita (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 4.38 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 0.0273 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 0.0074 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 0.0131 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 6.38 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 0.0006 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 0.0288 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 1.92 Mt CO2e (2024)

All data for Costa Rica →

Frequently asked questions

What is arable land use per person in Costa Rica?: Arable land use per person in Costa Rica was 0.0327 hectares per person in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest arable land use per person recorded in Costa Rica?: The highest recorded value was 0.2068 hectares per person in 1961.
What is the lowest arable land use per person recorded in Costa Rica?: The lowest recorded value was 0.0327 hectares per person in 2023.
How does Costa Rica rank for arable land use per person?: Costa Rica ranks 156th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
Is arable land use per person rising or falling in Costa Rica?: Over the last ten years it is down 33.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Costa Rica data come from?: The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Arable land use per person. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator: Arable land use per person
Unit: hectares per person
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 206 places, 11,842 data points, 1961–2023
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

Arable land is defined by the FAO as land under temporary crops, temporary meadows for mowing or for pasture, land under market or kitchen gardens, and land temporarily fallow. It is measured in hectares per person.