Costa Rica vs Uruguay: Arrivals of tourists from abroad

Costa Rica
2.92 million arrivals
in 2024
Uruguay
3.06 million arrivals
in 2019
Costa Rica rank
66th
Uruguay rank
65th

Arrivals of tourists from abroad over time

  • Costa Rica
  • Uruguay
1.0M2.0M3.0M4.0M199520092024

How they compare

Uruguay currently reports 3.06 million arrivals against 2.92 million arrivals in Costa Rica, a difference of 139,520 arrivals.

The two have swapped places 3 times across 25 shared years of data; in 1995 it was Uruguay ahead.

Costa Rica ranks 66th and Uruguay ranks 65th of 203 countries.

Uruguay has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Costa Rica Uruguay Difference Ahead
1990s 870,400 arrivals 2.15 million arrivals 1.27 million arrivals Uruguay
2000s 1.54 million arrivals 1.76 million arrivals 217,700 arrivals Uruguay
2010s 2.63 million arrivals 2.93 million arrivals 299,100 arrivals Uruguay

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher arrivals of tourists from abroad, Costa Rica or Uruguay?
Uruguay, at 3.06 million arrivals against 2.92 million arrivals in Costa Rica as of 2019.
What is the difference in arrivals of tourists from abroad between Costa Rica and Uruguay?
139,520 arrivals, with Uruguay ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and Uruguay?
25 years are reported by both, from 1995 to 2019.
How do Costa Rica and Uruguay rank globally for arrivals of tourists from abroad?
Costa Rica ranks 66th and Uruguay ranks 65th of 203 countries.
Where does this data come from?
UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Arrivals of tourists from abroad. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Arrivals of tourists from abroad
Unit
arrivals
Source
UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
203 places, 5,187 data points, 1995–2024
Last refreshed

Number of trips by visitors who arrive from abroad and stay overnight.