Sanitation facilities usage in urban areas in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Sanitation facilities usage in urban areas was 2,198 people in 2024. ▼ Falling
Sanitation facilities usage in urban areas in Costa Rica, 2000–2024
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
Costa Rica recorded 2,198 people for sanitation facilities usage in urban areas in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 25.6% on the previous year and down 74.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, sanitation facilities usage in urban areas in Costa Rica peaked at 11,552 people in 2001 and was at its lowest, 2,198 people, in 2024.
That places Costa Rica 73rd out of 186 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Sanitation facilities usage in urban areas in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 11,522 people | — |
| 2001 | 11,552 people | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 11,540 people | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 11,487 people | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 11,399 people | -0.8% |
| 2005 | 11,278 people | -1.1% |
| 2006 | 11,121 people | -1.4% |
| 2007 | 10,929 people | -1.7% |
| 2008 | 10,706 people | -2.0% |
| 2009 | 10,448 people | -2.4% |
| 2010 | 10,148 people | -2.9% |
| 2011 | 9,809 people | -3.3% |
| 2012 | 9,432 people | -3.8% |
| 2013 | 9,016 people | -4.4% |
| 2014 | 8,562 people | -5.0% |
| 2015 | 8,073 people | -5.7% |
| 2016 | 7,548 people | -6.5% |
| 2017 | 6,987 people | -7.4% |
| 2018 | 6,392 people | -8.5% |
| 2019 | 5,765 people | -9.8% |
| 2020 | 5,104 people | -11.5% |
| 2021 | 4,409 people | -13.6% |
| 2022 | 3,690 people | -16.3% |
| 2023 | 2,953 people | -20.0% |
| 2024 | 2,198 people | -25.6% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 2,198 people is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 678.67 people, 3.2× the median. (30 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 11,198 people | 10,448 people | 11,552 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 8,173 people | 5,765 people | 10,148 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 3,671 people | 2,198 people | 5,104 people | 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 sanitation facilities usage in urban areas in Costa Rica?
- Sanitation facilities usage in urban areas in Costa Rica was 2,198 people in 2024, according to WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest sanitation facilities usage in urban areas recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 11,552 people in 2001.
- What is the lowest sanitation facilities usage in urban areas recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 2,198 people in 2024.
- How does Costa Rica rank for sanitation facilities usage in urban areas?
- Costa Rica ranks 73rd out of 186 countries with data for 2024.
- Is sanitation facilities usage in urban areas rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 74.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Sanitation facilities usage in urban areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Open defecation includes defecating in fields, forests, bushes, bodies of water or other open spaces, not using any sanitation facilities.