Arrivals of tourists from abroad in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Arrivals of tourists from abroad was 2.92 million arrivals in 2024. ▲ Rising
Arrivals of tourists from abroad in Costa Rica, 1995–2024
Source: UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in arrivals.
Analysis
In 2024, arrivals of tourists from abroad in Costa Rica stood at 2.92 million arrivals.
That represents a change of up 6.1% on the previous year and up 15.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arrivals of tourists from abroad in Costa Rica peaked at 3.14 million arrivals in 2019 and was at its lowest, 781,000 arrivals, in 1996.
That places Costa Rica 66th out of 203 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 30 years of available data.
Arrivals of tourists from abroad in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | arrivals | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 785,000 arrivals | — |
| 1996 | 781,000 arrivals | -0.5% |
| 1997 | 811,000 arrivals | +3.8% |
| 1998 | 943,000 arrivals | +16.3% |
| 1999 | 1.03 million arrivals | +9.4% |
| 2000 | 1.09 million arrivals | +5.4% |
| 2001 | 1.13 million arrivals | +4.0% |
| 2002 | 1.11 million arrivals | -1.6% |
| 2003 | 1.24 million arrivals | +11.3% |
| 2004 | 1.45 million arrivals | +17.3% |
| 2005 | 1.68 million arrivals | +15.6% |
| 2006 | 1.73 million arrivals | +2.7% |
| 2007 | 1.98 million arrivals | +14.8% |
| 2008 | 2.09 million arrivals | +5.5% |
| 2009 | 1.92 million arrivals | -7.9% |
| 2010 | 2.10 million arrivals | +9.2% |
| 2011 | 2.19 million arrivals | +4.4% |
| 2012 | 2.34 million arrivals | +6.9% |
| 2013 | 2.43 million arrivals | +3.6% |
| 2014 | 2.53 million arrivals | +4.1% |
| 2015 | 2.66 million arrivals | +5.3% |
| 2016 | 2.92 million arrivals | +10.0% |
| 2017 | 2.96 million arrivals | +1.2% |
| 2018 | 3.02 million arrivals | +1.9% |
| 2019 | 3.14 million arrivals | +4.0% |
| 2020 | 1.01 million arrivals | -67.8% |
| 2021 | 1.35 million arrivals | +33.1% |
| 2022 | 2.35 million arrivals | +74.4% |
| 2023 | 2.75 million arrivals | +17.1% |
| 2024 | 2.92 million arrivals | +6.1% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 2.92 million arrivals is below the median for high income countries, which is 3.67 million arrivals, 80% of the median. (78 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 2.92 million arrivals is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 770,950 arrivals, 3.8× the median. (40 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Arrivals of tourists from abroad in Costa Rica changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | -67.8% | 3.14 million arrivals | 1.01 million arrivals |
| 2022 | +74.4% | 1.35 million arrivals | 2.35 million arrivals |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 870,400 arrivals | 781,000 arrivals | 1.03 million arrivals | 5 |
| 2000s | 1.54 million arrivals | 1.09 million arrivals | 2.09 million arrivals | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.63 million arrivals | 2.10 million arrivals | 3.14 million arrivals | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.08 million arrivals | 1.01 million arrivals | 2.92 million arrivals | 5 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
- 63 El Salvador 3.19 million arrivals compare
- 64 New Zealand 3.18 million arrivals compare
- 65 Uruguay 3.06 million arrivals compare
- 67 Oman 2.66 million arrivals compare
- 68 Philippines 2.65 million arrivals compare
- 69 Qatar 2.56 million arrivals compare
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 arrivals of tourists from abroad in Costa Rica?
- Arrivals of tourists from abroad in Costa Rica was 2.92 million arrivals in 2024, according to UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest arrivals of tourists from abroad recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 3.14 million arrivals in 2019.
- What is the lowest arrivals of tourists from abroad recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 781,000 arrivals in 1996.
- How does Costa Rica rank for arrivals of tourists from abroad?
- Costa Rica ranks 66th out of 203 countries with data for 2024.
- Is arrivals of tourists from abroad rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Arrivals of tourists from abroad. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 30 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of trips by visitors who arrive from abroad and stay overnight.