Costa Rica vs South Korea: Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes
Costa Rica
2.75 million trips
in 2024
South Korea
3.09 million trips
in 2022
Costa Rica rank
53rd
South Korea rank
50th
Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes over time
- Costa Rica
- South Korea
How they compare
South Korea currently reports 3.09 million trips against 2.75 million trips in Costa Rica, a difference of 338,980 trips.
That makes South Korea's figure about 1.1 times Costa Rica's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 27 shared years of data; in 1995 it was South Korea ahead.
Costa Rica ranks 53rd and South Korea ranks 50th of 179 countries.
South Korea has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | South Korea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 689,800 trips | 3.85 million trips | 3.16 million trips | South Korea |
| 2000s | 1.26 million trips | 5.69 million trips | 4.43 million trips | South Korea |
| 2010s | 2.34 million trips | 13.01 million trips | 10.67 million trips | South Korea |
| 2020s | 1.77 million trips | 2.01 million trips | 236,725 trips | South Korea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes, Costa Rica or South Korea?
- South Korea, at 3.09 million trips against 2.75 million trips in Costa Rica as of 2022.
- What is the difference in arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes between Costa Rica and South Korea?
- 338,980 trips, with South Korea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and South Korea?
- 27 years are reported by both, from 1995 to 2022.
- How do Costa Rica and South Korea rank globally for arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes?
- Costa Rica ranks 53rd and South Korea ranks 50th of 179 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes. 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.