Costa Rica vs North Korea: Urban area over the long-term
Costa Rica
1,053 km² per grid cell
in 2025
North Korea
954.94 km² per grid cell
in 2025
Costa Rica rank
93rd
North Korea rank
95th
Urban area over the long-term over time
- Costa Rica
- North Korea
How they compare
Costa Rica currently reports 1,053 km² per grid cell against 954.94 km² per grid cell in North Korea, a difference of 98.06 km² per grid cell.
That makes Costa Rica's figure about 1.1 times North Korea's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 108 shared years of data; in 1000 it was Costa Rica ahead.
Costa Rica ranks 93rd and North Korea ranks 95th of 202 countries.
Across the 40 decades both report, Costa Rica averaged higher in 9 and North Korea in 31.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | North Korea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000s | 0.0035 km² per grid cell | 0.0004 km² per grid cell | 0.003 km² per grid cell | Costa Rica |
| 1100s | 0.0113 km² per grid cell | 0.0016 km² per grid cell | 0.0097 km² per grid cell | Costa Rica |
| 1200s | 0.0371 km² per grid cell | 0.0064 km² per grid cell | 0.0306 km² per grid cell | Costa Rica |
| 1300s | 0.1213 km² per grid cell | 0.0145 km² per grid cell | 0.1068 km² per grid cell | Costa Rica |
| 1400s | 0.3971 km² per grid cell | 0.0508 km² per grid cell | 0.3463 km² per grid cell | Costa Rica |
| 1500s | 1.3 km² per grid cell | 0.1741 km² per grid cell | 1.13 km² per grid cell | Costa Rica |
| 1600s | 0.0693 km² per grid cell | 0.653 km² per grid cell | 0.5837 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 1700s | 0.5912 km² per grid cell | 2.45 km² per grid cell | 1.86 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 1710s | 0.7206 km² per grid cell | 2.38 km² per grid cell | 1.66 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 1720s | 0.854 km² per grid cell | 2.92 km² per grid cell | 2.07 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 1730s | 1.01 km² per grid cell | 3.59 km² per grid cell | 2.58 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 1740s | 1.2 km² per grid cell | 4.41 km² per grid cell | 3.21 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 1750s | 1.42 km² per grid cell | 5.41 km² per grid cell | 3.99 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 1760s | 1.68 km² per grid cell | 6.65 km² per grid cell | 4.96 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 1770s | 2 km² per grid cell | 8.16 km² per grid cell | 6.17 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 1780s | 2.36 km² per grid cell | 10.02 km² per grid cell | 7.66 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 1790s | 2.8 km² per grid cell | 12.31 km² per grid cell | 9.51 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 1800s | 3.32 km² per grid cell | 15.12 km² per grid cell | 11.8 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 1810s | 4.06 km² per grid cell | 18.57 km² per grid cell | 14.5 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 1820s | 4.97 km² per grid cell | 22.8 km² per grid cell | 17.83 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 1830s | 6.43 km² per grid cell | 27.07 km² per grid cell | 20.64 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 1840s | 8.43 km² per grid cell | 31.73 km² per grid cell | 23.3 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 1850s | 10.78 km² per grid cell | 37.15 km² per grid cell | 26.38 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 1860s | 13.49 km² per grid cell | 43.36 km² per grid cell | 29.87 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 1870s | 18.41 km² per grid cell | 50.07 km² per grid cell | 31.65 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 1880s | 24.8 km² per grid cell | 56.28 km² per grid cell | 31.48 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 1890s | 30.21 km² per grid cell | 60.46 km² per grid cell | 30.25 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 1900s | 36.09 km² per grid cell | 60.5 km² per grid cell | 24.4 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 1910s | 39.15 km² per grid cell | 60.5 km² per grid cell | 21.35 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 1920s | 41.27 km² per grid cell | 67.72 km² per grid cell | 26.46 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 1930s | 41.27 km² per grid cell | 76.39 km² per grid cell | 35.13 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 1940s | 49.15 km² per grid cell | 92.56 km² per grid cell | 43.4 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 1950s | 87.77 km² per grid cell | 141.33 km² per grid cell | 53.56 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 1960s | 132.09 km² per grid cell | 231.47 km² per grid cell | 99.38 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 1970s | 208.04 km² per grid cell | 381.86 km² per grid cell | 173.82 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 1980s | 317.71 km² per grid cell | 482.89 km² per grid cell | 165.18 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 1990s | 498.08 km² per grid cell | 605.22 km² per grid cell | 107.14 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 2000s | 712.16 km² per grid cell | 711.69 km² per grid cell | 0.4747 km² per grid cell | Costa Rica |
| 2010s | 881.12 km² per grid cell | 818.94 km² per grid cell | 62.19 km² per grid cell | Costa Rica |
| 2020s | 1,015 km² per grid cell | 927.36 km² per grid cell | 87.59 km² per grid cell | Costa Rica |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher urban area over the long-term, Costa Rica or North Korea?
- Costa Rica, at 1,053 km² per grid cell against 954.94 km² per grid cell in North Korea as of 2025.
- What is the difference in urban area over the long-term between Costa Rica and North Korea?
- 98.06 km² per grid cell, with Costa Rica ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and North Korea?
- 108 years are reported by both, from 1000 to 2025.
- How do Costa Rica and North Korea rank globally for urban area over the long-term?
- Costa Rica ranks 93rd and North Korea ranks 95th of 202 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Urban area over the long-term. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Total built-up area of a country over time.