Costa Rica vs El Salvador: International trips for personal vs. business and professional reasons
Costa Rica
2.75 million trips
in 2024
El Salvador
2.87 million trips
in 2024
Costa Rica rank
53rd
El Salvador rank
52nd
International trips for personal vs. business and professional reasons over time
- Costa Rica
- El Salvador
How they compare
El Salvador currently reports 2.87 million trips against 2.75 million trips in Costa Rica, a difference of 114,430 trips.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 29 shared years of data; in 1995 it was Costa Rica ahead.
Costa Rica ranks 53rd and El Salvador ranks 52nd of 179 countries.
Costa Rica has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | El Salvador | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 689,800 trips | 264,200 trips | 425,600 trips | Costa Rica |
| 2000s | 1.26 million trips | 777,100 trips | 483,040 trips | Costa Rica |
| 2010s | 2.34 million trips | 1.25 million trips | 1.09 million trips | Costa Rica |
| 2020s | 2.20 million trips | 2.04 million trips | 164,510 trips | Costa Rica |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher international trips for personal vs. business and professional reasons, Costa Rica or El Salvador?
- El Salvador, at 2.87 million trips against 2.75 million trips in Costa Rica as of 2024.
- What is the difference in international trips for personal vs. business and professional reasons between Costa Rica and El Salvador?
- 114,430 trips, with El Salvador ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and El Salvador?
- 29 years are reported by both, from 1995 to 2024.
- How do Costa Rica and El Salvador rank globally for international trips for personal vs. business and professional reasons?
- Costa Rica ranks 53rd and El Salvador ranks 52nd of 179 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as International trips for personal vs. business and professional reasons. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Number of international trips where the main purpose is personal (leisure, visiting friends and relatives, health, etc.) and the visitor stays overnight.