Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes was 2.75 million trips in 2024. ▲ Rising
Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in Costa Rica, 1995–2024
Source: UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in trips.
Analysis
The most recent figure for arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in Costa Rica is 2.75 million trips, measured in 2024.
The figure is up 9.0% on the previous year and up 26.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in Costa Rica peaked at 2.98 million trips in 2019 and was at its lowest, 592,000 trips, in 1995.
That places Costa Rica 53rd out of 179 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 29 years of available data.
Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | trips | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 592,000 trips | — |
| 1996 | 659,000 trips | +11.3% |
| 1997 | 697,000 trips | +5.8% |
| 1998 | 729,000 trips | +4.6% |
| 1999 | 772,000 trips | +5.9% |
| 2000 | 829,000 trips | +7.4% |
| 2001 | 921,000 trips | +11.1% |
| 2002 | 849,000 trips | -7.8% |
| 2003 | 966,000 trips | +13.8% |
| 2004 | 1.20 million trips | +24.5% |
| 2005 | 1.41 million trips | +17.0% |
| 2006 | 1.43 million trips | +1.5% |
| 2007 | 1.65 million trips | +15.6% |
| 2008 | 1.65 million trips | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 1.70 million trips | +3.4% |
| 2010 | 1.83 million trips | +7.5% |
| 2011 | 1.89 million trips | +3.3% |
| 2012 | 2.04 million trips | +7.8% |
| 2013 | 2.14 million trips | +5.1% |
| 2014 | 2.18 million trips | +1.8% |
| 2015 | 2.24 million trips | +2.8% |
| 2016 | 2.63 million trips | +17.4% |
| 2017 | 2.72 million trips | +3.2% |
| 2018 | 2.73 million trips | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 2.98 million trips | +9.0% |
| 2021 | 1.29 million trips | -56.5% |
| 2022 | 2.25 million trips | +73.8% |
| 2023 | 2.52 million trips | +12.2% |
| 2024 | 2.75 million trips | +9.0% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 2.75 million trips is above the median for high income countries, which is 2.47 million trips, 1.1× the median. (63 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 2.75 million trips is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 667,148 trips, 4.1× the median. (38 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | +73.8% | 1.29 million trips | 2.25 million trips |
| 2021 | -56.5% | 2.98 million trips | 1.29 million trips |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 689,800 trips | 592,000 trips | 772,000 trips | 5 |
| 2000s | 1.26 million trips | 829,000 trips | 1.70 million trips | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.34 million trips | 1.83 million trips | 2.98 million trips | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.20 million trips | 1.29 million trips | 2.75 million trips | 4 |
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 arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in Costa Rica?
- Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in Costa Rica was 2.75 million trips in 2024, according to UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 2.98 million trips in 2019.
- What is the lowest arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 592,000 trips in 1995.
- How does Costa Rica rank for arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes?
- Costa Rica ranks 53rd out of 179 countries with data for 2024.
- Is arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 26.2%. 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 for personal purposes. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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.