Prosperity gap in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Prosperity gap was 1.71 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Prosperity gap in Costa Rica, 1981–2025
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for prosperity gap in Costa Rica is 1.71, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 39 years on record.
The figure is down 12.5% on the previous year and down 32.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prosperity gap in Costa Rica peaked at 11.06 in 1981 and was at its lowest, 1.71, in 2025.
That places Costa Rica 77th out of 120 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Prosperity gap in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 11.06 | — |
| 1986 | 8.29 | -25.1% |
| 1989 | 8.21 | -1.0% |
| 1990 | 7.78 | -5.2% |
| 1991 | 8.33 | +7.0% |
| 1992 | 7.49 | -10.1% |
| 1993 | 7.14 | -4.7% |
| 1994 | 6.03 | -15.5% |
| 1995 | 6.23 | +3.2% |
| 1996 | 6.72 | +8.0% |
| 1997 | 5.69 | -15.4% |
| 1998 | 4.95 | -13.0% |
| 1999 | 5.5 | +11.0% |
| 2000 | 5.72 | +4.0% |
| 2001 | 4.34 | -24.0% |
| 2002 | 4.27 | -1.6% |
| 2003 | 4.06 | -5.1% |
| 2004 | 4.02 | -0.9% |
| 2005 | 3.46 | -13.8% |
| 2006 | 3.53 | +1.8% |
| 2007 | 2.95 | -16.2% |
| 2008 | 3.07 | +3.9% |
| 2009 | 3.1 | +1.1% |
| 2010 | 2.65 | -14.7% |
| 2011 | 2.67 | +1.0% |
| 2012 | 2.5 | -6.4% |
| 2013 | 2.48 | -0.9% |
| 2014 | 2.52 | +1.5% |
| 2015 | 2.52 | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 2.4 | -4.9% |
| 2017 | 2.26 | -5.6% |
| 2018 | 2.44 | +7.7% |
| 2019 | 2.3 | -5.5% |
| 2020 | 3.01 | +30.6% |
| 2021 | 2.36 | -21.6% |
| 2022 | 2.31 | -2.3% |
| 2023 | 2.14 | -7.2% |
| 2024 | 1.95 | -8.7% |
| 2025 | 1.71 | -12.5% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 1.71 is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.08, 1.6× the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 1.71 is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 2.65, 64% of the median. (18 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 9.19 | 8.21 | 11.06 | 3 |
| 1990s | 6.58 | 4.95 | 8.33 | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.85 | 2.95 | 5.72 | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.47 | 2.26 | 2.67 | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.25 | 1.71 | 3.01 | 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 prosperity gap in Costa Rica?
- Prosperity gap in Costa Rica was 1.71 in 2025, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest prosperity gap recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 11.06 in 1981.
- What is the lowest prosperity gap recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.71 in 2025.
- How does Costa Rica rank for prosperity gap?
- Costa Rica ranks 77th out of 120 countries with data for 2025.
- Is prosperity gap rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 32.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Prosperity gap. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 39 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Average factor by which incomes need to be multiplied to bring everyone to the prosperity standard of $28 per person per day.