Share of population using safely managed sanitation in Costa Rica

Costa Rica: Share of population using safely managed sanitation was 26.3% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
26.3%
Change on year
up 1.2%
World rank
121st
of 150 countries
All-time high
26.3%
in 2024
All-time low
22.6%
in 2012
Years of data
25
2000–2024

Share of population using safely managed sanitation in Costa Rica, 2000–2024

01020302000201220242000: 24 %2001: 23.8 %2002: 23.7 %2003: 23.5 %2004: 23.3 %2005: 23.2 %2006: 23 %2007: 22.9 %2008: 22.8 %2009: 22.7 %2010: 22.6 %2011: 22.6 %2012: 22.6 %2013: 22.8 %2014: 23.1 %2015: 23.4 %2016: 23.8 %2017: 24.1 %2018: 24.4 %2019: 24.7 %2020: 25 %2021: 25.3 %2022: 25.6 %2023: 26 %2024: 26.3 %

Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of population using safely managed sanitation in Costa Rica is 26.3%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.2% on the previous year and up 13.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population using safely managed sanitation in Costa Rica peaked at 26.3% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 22.6%, in 2012.

That places Costa Rica 121st out of 150 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 23.3% 22.7% 24.0% 10
2010s 23.4% 22.6% 24.7% 10
2020s 25.6% 25.0% 26.3% 5

Countries ranked near Costa Rica

  1. 118 Gambia 28.1% compare
  2. 119 Cote d'Ivoire 27.1% compare
  3. 120 Thailand 26.7% compare
  4. 122 Venezuela 26.0% compare
  5. 123 Lebanon 25.7% compare
  6. 124 Suriname 25.1% compare

See the full ranking of 150 places →

More reference data data for Costa Rica

All data for Costa Rica →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population using safely managed sanitation in Costa Rica?
Share of population using safely managed sanitation in Costa Rica was 26.3% 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 share of population using safely managed sanitation recorded in Costa Rica?
The highest recorded value was 26.3% in 2024.
What is the lowest share of population using safely managed sanitation recorded in Costa Rica?
The lowest recorded value was 22.6% in 2012.
How does Costa Rica rank for share of population using safely managed sanitation?
Costa Rica ranks 121st out of 150 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of population using safely managed sanitation rising or falling in Costa Rica?
Over the last ten years it is up 13.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
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 Share of population using safely managed sanitation. 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

Indicator
Share of population using safely managed sanitation
Unit
%
Source
WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
150 places, 3,667 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed

Proportion of people using improved sanitation facilities that are not shared with other households and where excreta are safely disposed in situ or transported and treated off-site.