Milk production in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Milk production was 1.28 million tonnes in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
1.28 million tonnes
Change on year
down 7.6%
World rank
75th
of 192 countries
All-time high
1.39 million tonnes
in 2023
All-time low
118,000 tonnes
in 1961
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Milk production in Costa Rica, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
In 2024, milk production in Costa Rica stood at 1.28 million tonnes.
That represents a change of down 7.6% on the previous year and up 16.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, milk production in Costa Rica peaked at 1.39 million tonnes in 2023 and was at its lowest, 118,000 tonnes, in 1961.
That places Costa Rica 75th out of 192 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Milk production in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 118,000 tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 124,400 tonnes | +5.4% |
| 1963 | 131,700 tonnes | +5.9% |
| 1964 | 136,200 tonnes | +3.4% |
| 1965 | 143,800 tonnes | +5.6% |
| 1966 | 150,200 tonnes | +4.5% |
| 1967 | 156,900 tonnes | +4.5% |
| 1968 | 178,000 tonnes | +13.4% |
| 1969 | 186,000 tonnes | +4.5% |
| 1970 | 194,000 tonnes | +4.3% |
| 1971 | 202,000 tonnes | +4.1% |
| 1972 | 219,323 tonnes | +8.6% |
| 1973 | 210,000 tonnes | -4.3% |
| 1974 | 248,384 tonnes | +18.3% |
| 1975 | 258,550 tonnes | +4.1% |
| 1976 | 280,170 tonnes | +8.4% |
| 1977 | 299,300 tonnes | +6.8% |
| 1978 | 310,130 tonnes | +3.6% |
| 1979 | 315,622 tonnes | +1.8% |
| 1980 | 317,819 tonnes | +0.7% |
| 1981 | 319,920 tonnes | +0.7% |
| 1982 | 307,270 tonnes | -4.0% |
| 1983 | 337,395 tonnes | +9.8% |
| 1984 | 356,873 tonnes | +5.8% |
| 1985 | 377,138 tonnes | +5.7% |
| 1986 | 390,664 tonnes | +3.6% |
| 1987 | 399,085 tonnes | +2.2% |
| 1988 | 408,065 tonnes | +2.3% |
| 1989 | 409,526 tonnes | +0.4% |
| 1990 | 463,800 tonnes | +13.3% |
| 1991 | 468,700 tonnes | +1.1% |
| 1992 | 524,200 tonnes | +11.8% |
| 1993 | 551,700 tonnes | +5.2% |
| 1994 | 556,200 tonnes | +0.8% |
| 1995 | 583,400 tonnes | +4.9% |
| 1996 | 558,500 tonnes | -4.3% |
| 1997 | 595,500 tonnes | +6.6% |
| 1998 | 654,300 tonnes | +9.9% |
| 1999 | 714,656 tonnes | +9.2% |
| 2000 | 731,855 tonnes | +2.4% |
| 2001 | 747,192 tonnes | +2.1% |
| 2002 | 773,902 tonnes | +3.6% |
| 2003 | 797,618 tonnes | +3.1% |
| 2004 | 765,310 tonnes | -4.1% |
| 2005 | 792,465 tonnes | +3.5% |
| 2006 | 837,800 tonnes | +5.7% |
| 2007 | 884,295 tonnes | +5.5% |
| 2008 | 907,958 tonnes | +2.7% |
| 2009 | 931,743 tonnes | +2.6% |
| 2010 | 971,726 tonnes | +4.3% |
| 2011 | 986,327 tonnes | +1.5% |
| 2012 | 1.04 million tonnes | +5.0% |
| 2013 | 1.09 million tonnes | +5.0% |
| 2014 | 1.10 million tonnes | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 1.12 million tonnes | +2.1% |
| 2016 | 1.16 million tonnes | +3.2% |
| 2017 | 1.15 million tonnes | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 1.18 million tonnes | +1.8% |
| 2019 | 1.22 million tonnes | +3.7% |
| 2020 | 1.22 million tonnes | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 1.22 million tonnes | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 1.24 million tonnes | +1.6% |
| 2023 | 1.39 million tonnes | +12.4% |
| 2024 | 1.28 million tonnes | -7.6% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 1.28 million tonnes is below the median for high income countries, which is 1.53 million tonnes, 84% of the median. (61 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 1.28 million tonnes is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 419,177 tonnes, 3.1× the median. (33 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 147,244 tonnes | 118,000 tonnes | 186,000 tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 253,748 tonnes | 194,000 tonnes | 315,622 tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 362,376 tonnes | 307,270 tonnes | 409,526 tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 567,096 tonnes | 463,800 tonnes | 714,656 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 817,014 tonnes | 731,855 tonnes | 931,743 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.10 million tonnes | 971,726 tonnes | 1.22 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.27 million tonnes | 1.22 million tonnes | 1.39 million tonnes | 5 |
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 milk production in Costa Rica?
- Milk production in Costa Rica was 1.28 million tonnes in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest milk production recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 1.39 million tonnes in 2023.
- What is the lowest milk production recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 118,000 tonnes in 1961.
- How does Costa Rica rank for milk production?
- Costa Rica ranks 75th out of 192 countries with data for 2024.
- Is milk production rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 16.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Milk production. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 64 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Milk represents the raw equivalents of all dairy products including cheese, yoghurt, cream and milk consumed as the final product.