Number of significant volcanic eruptions in Costa Rica

Costa Rica: Number of significant volcanic eruptions was 1 events in 2019. ▼ Falling

Latest (2019)
1 events
World rank
6th
of 25 countries
All-time high
2 events
in 1963
All-time low
1 events
in 1966
Years of data
7
1963–2019

Number of significant volcanic eruptions in Costa Rica, 1963–2019

00.511.521963199120191963: 2 events1966: 1 events1968: 1 events1975: 1 events1988: 1 events2000: 1 events2019: 1 events

Source: National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in events.

Analysis

In 2019, number of significant volcanic eruptions in Costa Rica stood at 1 events. That is the lowest value across all 7 years on record.

Over the whole period, number of significant volcanic eruptions in Costa Rica peaked at 2 events in 1963 and was at its lowest, 1 events, in 1966.

Costa Rica ranks 6th of 25 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 1.33 events 1 events 2 events 3
1970s 1 events 1 events 1 events 1
1980s 1 events 1 events 1 events 1
2000s 1 events 1 events 1 events 1
2010s 1 events 1 events 1 events 1

Countries ranked near Costa Rica

  1. 3 Italy 2 events compare
  2. 3 Japan 2 events compare
  3. 3 Philippines 2 events compare
  4. 6 Chile 1 events compare
  5. 6 Colombia 1 events compare
  6. 6 Comoros 1 events compare
  7. 6 Democratic Republic of Congo 1 events compare
  8. 6 Ecuador 1 events compare
  9. 6 Greece 1 events compare
  10. 6 Guatemala 1 events compare
  11. 6 Iceland 1 events compare
  12. 6 Mexico 1 events compare
  13. 6 New Zealand 1 events compare
  14. 6 Nicaragua 1 events compare
  15. 6 Papua New Guinea 1 events compare
  16. 6 Portugal 1 events compare
  17. 6 Russia 1 events compare
  18. 6 Solomon Islands 1 events compare
  19. 6 Spain 1 events compare
  20. 6 Tanzania 1 events compare
  21. 6 Tonga 1 events compare
  22. 6 Vanuatu 1 events compare

See the full ranking of 25 places →

More reference data data for Costa Rica

All data for Costa Rica →

Frequently asked questions

What is number of significant volcanic eruptions in Costa Rica?
Number of significant volcanic eruptions in Costa Rica was 1 events in 2019, according to National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest number of significant volcanic eruptions recorded in Costa Rica?
The highest recorded value was 2 events in 1963.
What is the lowest number of significant volcanic eruptions recorded in Costa Rica?
The lowest recorded value was 1 events in 1966.
How does Costa Rica rank for number of significant volcanic eruptions?
Costa Rica ranks 6th out of 25 countries with data for 2019.
Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
The figures come from National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of significant volcanic eruptions. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 7 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Number of significant volcanic eruptions
Unit
events
Source
National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
25 places, 619 data points, 1050–2024
Last refreshed

A significant eruption is classified as one that meets at least one of the following criteria: caused fatalities, caused moderate damage (approximately $1 million or more), with a Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) of 6 or larger, caused a tsunami, or was associated with a major earthquake.