Installed geothermal energy capacity in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Installed geothermal energy capacity was 262.66 megawatts in 2025. ▲ Rising
Installed geothermal energy capacity in Costa Rica, 2000–2025
Source: IRENA (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in megawatts.
Analysis
In 2025, installed geothermal energy capacity in Costa Rica stood at 262.66 megawatts. That is the highest value across all 26 years on record.
That represents a change of up 20.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, installed geothermal energy capacity in Costa Rica peaked at 262.66 megawatts in 2022 and was at its lowest, 144.71 megawatts, in 2000.
That places Costa Rica 11th out of 32 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.
Installed geothermal energy capacity in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | megawatts | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 144.71 megawatts | — |
| 2001 | 144.71 megawatts | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 144.71 megawatts | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 162.71 megawatts | +12.4% |
| 2004 | 165.71 megawatts | +1.8% |
| 2005 | 165.71 megawatts | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 165.71 megawatts | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 165.71 megawatts | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 165.71 megawatts | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 165.71 megawatts | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 165.71 megawatts | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 217.46 megawatts | +31.2% |
| 2012 | 217.46 megawatts | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 217.46 megawatts | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 217.46 megawatts | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 217.36 megawatts | -0.0% |
| 2016 | 206.86 megawatts | -4.8% |
| 2017 | 206.86 megawatts | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 206.86 megawatts | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 261.86 megawatts | +26.6% |
| 2020 | 261.86 megawatts | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 258.84 megawatts | -1.2% |
| 2022 | 262.66 megawatts | +1.5% |
| 2023 | 262.66 megawatts | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 262.66 megawatts | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 262.66 megawatts | +0.0% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 262.66 megawatts is above the median for high income countries, which is 79.47 megawatts, 3.3× the median. (16 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 262.66 megawatts is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 124.51 megawatts, 2.1× the median. (8 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 159.11 megawatts | 144.71 megawatts | 165.71 megawatts | 10 |
| 2010s | 213.54 megawatts | 165.71 megawatts | 261.86 megawatts | 10 |
| 2020s | 261.89 megawatts | 258.84 megawatts | 262.66 megawatts | 6 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
More reference data data for Costa Rica
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.2987 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.406 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.27 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0167 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.27 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.3161 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 2.24 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 5.91 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0907 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is installed geothermal energy capacity in Costa Rica?
- Installed geothermal energy capacity in Costa Rica was 262.66 megawatts in 2025, according to IRENA (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest installed geothermal energy capacity recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 262.66 megawatts in 2022.
- What is the lowest installed geothermal energy capacity recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 144.71 megawatts in 2000.
- How does Costa Rica rank for installed geothermal energy capacity?
- Costa Rica ranks 11th out of 32 countries with data for 2025.
- Is installed geothermal energy capacity rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 20.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from IRENA (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Installed geothermal energy capacity. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total geothermal (on- and off-grid) electricity installed capacity, measured in megawatts.