Water withdrawals per capita in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Water withdrawals per capita was 675.12 cubic meters per person in 2023. ▲ Rising
Water withdrawals per capita in Costa Rica, 2012–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – AQUASTAT (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in cubic meters per person.
Analysis
The most recent figure for water withdrawals per capita in Costa Rica is 675.12 cubic meters per person, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of down 0.5% on the previous year and up 29.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, water withdrawals per capita in Costa Rica peaked at 681.19 cubic meters per person in 2021 and was at its lowest, 496.62 cubic meters per person, in 2017.
Costa Rica ranks 43rd of 180 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 12 years of available data.
Water withdrawals per capita in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | cubic meters per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 501.3 cubic meters per person | — |
| 2013 | 522.76 cubic meters per person | +4.3% |
| 2014 | 575.3 cubic meters per person | +10.1% |
| 2015 | 662.7 cubic meters per person | +15.2% |
| 2016 | 604.25 cubic meters per person | -8.8% |
| 2017 | 496.62 cubic meters per person | -17.8% |
| 2018 | 615.9 cubic meters per person | +24.0% |
| 2019 | 627.68 cubic meters per person | +1.9% |
| 2020 | 622.94 cubic meters per person | -0.8% |
| 2021 | 681.19 cubic meters per person | +9.4% |
| 2022 | 678.27 cubic meters per person | -0.4% |
| 2023 | 675.12 cubic meters per person | -0.5% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 675.12 cubic meters per person is above the median for high income countries, which is 376.78 cubic meters per person, 1.8× the median. (59 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 675.12 cubic meters per person is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 323.09 cubic meters per person, 2.1× the median. (33 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 575.82 cubic meters per person | 496.62 cubic meters per person | 662.7 cubic meters per person | 8 |
| 2020s | 664.38 cubic meters per person | 622.94 cubic meters per person | 681.19 cubic meters per person | 4 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
More environment data for Costa Rica
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 2.9 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 2.71 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.257 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.61 °C (2025)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.401 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) (Mt CO2e) 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) (Mt CO2e), per 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is water withdrawals per capita in Costa Rica?
- Water withdrawals per capita in Costa Rica was 675.12 cubic meters per person in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – AQUASTAT (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest water withdrawals per capita recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 681.19 cubic meters per person in 2021.
- What is the lowest water withdrawals per capita recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 496.62 cubic meters per person in 2017.
- How does Costa Rica rank for water withdrawals per capita?
- Costa Rica ranks 43rd out of 180 countries with data for 2023.
- Is water withdrawals per capita rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 29.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – AQUASTAT (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Water withdrawals per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Water withdrawn each year for agriculture, industry, and municipal uses, divided by the population.