Land use over the long-term in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Land use over the long-term was 1.25 million hectares in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
1.25 million hectares
Change on year
up 0.0%
World rank
98th
of 202 countries
All-time high
2.23 million hectares
in 1984
All-time low
0 hectares
in 1000
Years of data
108
1000–2025
Land use over the long-term in Costa Rica, 1000–2025
Source: HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2025, land use over the long-term in Costa Rica stood at 1.25 million hectares.
That represents a change of up 2.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land use over the long-term in Costa Rica peaked at 2.23 million hectares in 1984 and was at its lowest, 0 hectares, in 1000.
That places Costa Rica 98th out of 202 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000s | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 1 |
| 1100s | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 1 |
| 1200s | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 1 |
| 1300s | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 1 |
| 1400s | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 1 |
| 1500s | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 1 |
| 1600s | 3,978 hectares | 3,978 hectares | 3,978 hectares | 1 |
| 1700s | 14,961 hectares | 14,961 hectares | 14,961 hectares | 1 |
| 1710s | 16,583 hectares | 16,583 hectares | 16,583 hectares | 1 |
| 1720s | 18,370 hectares | 18,370 hectares | 18,370 hectares | 1 |
| 1730s | 20,338 hectares | 20,338 hectares | 20,338 hectares | 1 |
| 1740s | 22,506 hectares | 22,506 hectares | 22,506 hectares | 1 |
| 1750s | 24,893 hectares | 24,893 hectares | 24,893 hectares | 1 |
| 1760s | 27,519 hectares | 27,519 hectares | 27,519 hectares | 1 |
| 1770s | 30,409 hectares | 30,409 hectares | 30,409 hectares | 1 |
| 1780s | 33,588 hectares | 33,588 hectares | 33,588 hectares | 1 |
| 1790s | 37,083 hectares | 37,083 hectares | 37,083 hectares | 1 |
| 1800s | 40,926 hectares | 40,926 hectares | 40,926 hectares | 1 |
| 1810s | 47,145 hectares | 47,145 hectares | 47,145 hectares | 1 |
| 1820s | 54,229 hectares | 54,229 hectares | 54,229 hectares | 1 |
| 1830s | 65,924 hectares | 65,924 hectares | 65,924 hectares | 1 |
| 1840s | 81,128 hectares | 81,128 hectares | 81,128 hectares | 1 |
| 1850s | 97,488 hectares | 97,488 hectares | 97,488 hectares | 1 |
| 1860s | 104,833 hectares | 104,833 hectares | 104,833 hectares | 1 |
| 1870s | 123,757 hectares | 123,757 hectares | 123,757 hectares | 1 |
| 1880s | 147,213 hectares | 147,213 hectares | 147,213 hectares | 1 |
| 1890s | 165,621 hectares | 165,621 hectares | 165,621 hectares | 1 |
| 1900s | 194,796 hectares | 194,796 hectares | 194,796 hectares | 1 |
| 1910s | 219,595 hectares | 219,595 hectares | 219,595 hectares | 1 |
| 1920s | 243,094 hectares | 243,094 hectares | 243,094 hectares | 1 |
| 1930s | 283,224 hectares | 283,224 hectares | 283,224 hectares | 1 |
| 1940s | 390,364 hectares | 390,364 hectares | 390,364 hectares | 1 |
| 1950s | 715,237 hectares | 602,995 hectares | 847,312 hectares | 10 |
| 1960s | 1.06 million hectares | 915,000 hectares | 1.30 million hectares | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.62 million hectares | 1.36 million hectares | 1.94 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.07 million hectares | 1.87 million hectares | 2.23 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.55 million hectares | 1.39 million hectares | 1.69 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.32 million hectares | 1.29 million hectares | 1.35 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.25 million hectares | 1.22 million hectares | 1.28 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.25 million hectares | 1.25 million hectares | 1.25 million hectares | 6 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
- 96 Bulgaria 1.41 million hectares compare
- 97 Oman 1.35 million hectares compare
- 99 Liberia 1.24 million hectares compare
- 100 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1.21 million hectares compare
- 101 Dominican Republic 1.20 million hectares compare
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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land use over the long-term in Costa Rica?
- Land use over the long-term in Costa Rica was 1.25 million hectares in 2025, according to HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest land use over the long-term recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 2.23 million hectares in 1984.
- What is the lowest land use over the long-term recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 hectares in 1000.
- How does Costa Rica rank for land use over the long-term?
- Costa Rica ranks 98th out of 202 countries with data for 2025.
- Is land use over the long-term rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Land use over the long-term. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 108 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total grazingland area for each separate country over time.