The latest officially reported population of Costa Rica was 5,129,910 in 2024 vs 35,557,673 people in Malaysia in 2024. In 2025, based on the adjusted UN estimation, the current Costa Rica's population is 5,170,484 people compared to 36,304,998 in Malaysia.
Population statistics:
- Malaysia's population is 7.02 times bigger than Costa Rica's.
- Costa Rica is ranked the 126th most populous country in the world, while Malaysia is the 45th.
- The countries together account for 0.5% of the world: 0.06% for Costa Rica vs 0.44% for Malaysia.
- For the last 10 years, Costa Rica has had an average growth rate of +0.77% per year vs +1.5% in Malaysia.
- Since 2005, the population of Costa Rica has increased from 4.26M people to 5.17M (21.3% growth), while Malaysia has grown from 25.8M to 36.3M (40.5% growth).
- Costa Rica is projected to reach its peak in 2044 at 5.38M people compared to the peak of 46.4M people in 2072 for Malaysia.
Costa Rica vs Malaysia: live population counter
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Current population |
5170484
|
36304998
|
| Population rank | 126/197 | 45/197 |
| Percent of world population | 0.06% | 0.44% |
| One net population change |
21.6 minutes
|
1.22 minutes
|
| One birth every |
10.1 minutes
|
1.21 minutes
|
| One death every |
18.9 minutes
|
2.9 minutes
|
| One migration net change every |
9.06 hours
|
3.01 minutes
|
| Annual migration change | +967 | +174,770 |
| Daily growth/decline | +67 | +1,182 |
| Annual growth/decline | +24,385 | +431,375 |
| Annual growth/decline rate | +0.48% | +1.23% |
| Population growth rate rank | 138/197 | 91/197 |
Costa Rica and Malaysia: population history and growth rate by year chart
| Year | Population | Growth rate | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1960 | 1,327,496 | 7,956,197 | - | - |
| 1961 | 1,377,920 | 8,164,443 | 3.8% | 2.62% |
| 1962 | 1,429,445 | 8,380,172 | 3.74% | 2.64% |
| 1963 | 1,481,604 | 8,602,160 | 3.65% | 2.65% |
| 1964 | 1,533,960 | 8,828,406 | 3.53% | 2.63% |
| 1965 | 1,586,208 | 9,056,408 | 3.41% | 2.58% |
| 1966 | 1,638,116 | 9,284,688 | 3.27% | 2.52% |
| 1967 | 1,689,523 | 9,507,099 | 3.14% | 2.4% |
| 1968 | 1,739,731 | 9,725,281 | 2.97% | 2.29% |
| 1969 | 1,789,276 | 9,947,597 | 2.85% | 2.29% |
| 1970 | 1,838,949 | 10,178,802 | 2.78% | 2.32% |
| 1971 | 1,888,539 | 10,423,453 | 2.7% | 2.4% |
| 1972 | 1,938,248 | 10,676,835 | 2.63% | 2.43% |
| 1973 | 1,988,343 | 10,935,621 | 2.58% | 2.42% |
| 1974 | 2,039,643 | 11,200,906 | 2.58% | 2.43% |
| 1975 | 2,092,719 | 11,471,914 | 2.6% | 2.42% |
| 1976 | 2,147,774 | 11,750,097 | 2.63% | 2.42% |
| 1977 | 2,205,025 | 12,035,713 | 2.67% | 2.43% |
| 1978 | 2,264,510 | 12,328,157 | 2.7% | 2.43% |
| 1979 | 2,326,490 | 12,627,862 | 2.74% | 2.43% |
| 1980 | 2,390,633 | 12,983,363 | 2.76% | 2.82% |
| 1981 | 2,456,637 | 13,399,203 | 2.76% | 3.2% |
| 1982 | 2,524,806 | 13,832,798 | 2.77% | 3.24% |
| 1983 | 2,595,153 | 14,285,907 | 2.79% | 3.28% |
| 1984 | 2,667,595 | 14,759,009 | 2.79% | 3.31% |
| 1985 | 2,741,894 | 15,252,258 | 2.79% | 3.34% |
| 1986 | 2,817,216 | 15,760,419 | 2.75% | 3.33% |
| 1987 | 2,892,699 | 16,276,737 | 2.68% | 3.28% |
| 1988 | 2,968,103 | 16,796,605 | 2.61% | 3.19% |
| 1989 | 3,043,827 | 17,314,997 | 2.55% | 3.09% |
| 1990 | 3,121,706 | 17,833,171 | 2.56% | 2.99% |
| 1991 | 3,202,176 | 18,342,464 | 2.58% | 2.86% |
| 1992 | 3,284,258 | 18,834,572 | 2.56% | 2.68% |
| 1993 | 3,367,434 | 19,322,664 | 2.53% | 2.59% |
| 1994 | 3,451,122 | 19,820,446 | 2.49% | 2.58% |
| 1995 | 3,535,176 | 20,330,599 | 2.44% | 2.57% |
| 1996 | 3,619,013 | 20,850,087 | 2.37% | 2.56% |
| 1997 | 3,701,711 | 21,375,218 | 2.29% | 2.52% |
| 1998 | 3,782,838 | 21,906,713 | 2.19% | 2.49% |
| 1999 | 3,862,101 | 22,435,531 | 2.1% | 2.41% |
| 2000 | 3,937,739 | 22,967,816 | 1.96% | 2.37% |
| 2001 | 4,008,947 | 23,526,538 | 1.81% | 2.43% |
| 2002 | 4,075,705 | 24,102,477 | 1.67% | 2.45% |
| 2003 | 4,138,784 | 24,679,602 | 1.55% | 2.39% |
| 2004 | 4,200,078 | 25,256,772 | 1.48% | 2.34% |
| 2005 | 4,261,240 | 25,836,071 | 1.46% | 2.29% |
| 2006 | 4,321,340 | 26,417,909 | 1.41% | 2.25% |
| 2007 | 4,380,248 | 26,998,389 | 1.36% | 2.2% |
| 2008 | 4,440,056 | 27,570,059 | 1.37% | 2.12% |
| 2009 | 4,499,791 | 28,124,778 | 1.35% | 2.01% |
| 2010 | 4,555,962 | 28,655,776 | 1.25% | 1.89% |
| 2011 | 4,609,833 | 29,162,039 | 1.18% | 1.77% |
| 2012 | 4,663,934 | 29,662,831 | 1.17% | 1.72% |
| 2013 | 4,716,147 | 30,174,265 | 1.12% | 1.72% |
| 2014 | 4,767,119 | 30,696,137 | 1.08% | 1.73% |
| 2015 | 4,818,038 | 31,232,798 | 1.07% | 1.75% |
| 2016 | 4,866,998 | 31,789,685 | 1.02% | 1.78% |
| 2017 | 4,913,177 | 32,355,644 | 0.95% | 1.78% |
| 2018 | 4,957,818 | 32,910,967 | 0.91% | 1.72% |
| 2019 | 4,999,553 | 33,440,596 | 0.84% | 1.61% |
| 2020 | 5,034,320 | 33,889,558 | 0.7% | 1.34% |
| 2021 | 5,059,988 | 34,282,399 | 0.51% | 1.16% |
| 2022 | 5,081,765 | 34,695,493 | 0.43% | 1.2% |
| 2023 | 5,105,525 | 35,126,298 | 0.47% | 1.24% |
| 2024 | 5,129,910 | 35,557,673 | 0.48% | 1.23% |
| 2025 | 5,152,946 | 35,977,838 | 0.45% | 1.18% |
| 2026 | 5,174,780 | 36,385,119 | 0.42% | 1.13% |
| 2027 | 5,195,555 | 36,785,089 | 0.4% | 1.1% |
| 2028 | 5,215,247 | 37,182,773 | 0.38% | 1.08% |
| 2029 | 5,233,877 | 37,574,292 | 0.36% | 1.05% |
| 2030 | 5,251,495 | 37,961,722 | 0.34% | 1.03% |
| 2031 | 5,268,137 | 38,347,786 | 0.32% | 1.02% |
| 2032 | 5,283,807 | 38,728,383 | 0.3% | 0.99% |
| 2033 | 5,298,514 | 39,097,871 | 0.28% | 0.95% |
| 2034 | 5,312,162 | 39,457,849 | 0.26% | 0.92% |
| 2035 | 5,324,698 | 39,814,834 | 0.24% | 0.9% |
| 2036 | 5,336,133 | 40,166,904 | 0.21% | 0.88% |
| 2037 | 5,346,408 | 40,512,289 | 0.19% | 0.86% |
| 2038 | 5,355,519 | 40,853,318 | 0.17% | 0.84% |
| 2039 | 5,363,363 | 41,185,892 | 0.15% | 0.81% |
| 2040 | 5,369,806 | 41,509,646 | 0.12% | 0.79% |
| 2041 | 5,374,934 | 41,828,594 | 0.1% | 0.77% |
| 2042 | 5,378,670 | 42,144,474 | 0.07% | 0.76% |
| 2043 | 5,380,915 | 42,455,952 | 0.04% | 0.74% |
| 2044 | 5,381,720 | 42,754,140 | 0.01% | 0.7% |
| 2045 | 5,381,014 | 43,038,205 | -0.01% | 0.66% |
| 2046 | 5,378,757 | 43,313,754 | -0.04% | 0.64% |
| 2047 | 5,374,945 | 43,580,459 | -0.07% | 0.62% |
| 2048 | 5,369,577 | 43,831,577 | -0.1% | 0.58% |
| 2049 | 5,362,651 | 44,065,538 | -0.13% | 0.53% |
| 2050 | 5,354,148 | 44,289,765 | -0.16% | 0.51% |
From 2005 to 2015, the population of Costa Rica increased by 556,798 people (a 13.1% growth), while Malaysia gained 5,396,727 people (a 20.9% growth).
For the next 10 years, from 2015 to 2025, Costa Rica gained 352,446 (a 7.32% growth), while Malaysia's population increased by 5,072,200 (a 16.2% growth).
Costa Rica was ranked 120th most populous country in 2005 and is 126th in 2025. Malaysia was ranked 44th in 2005 and ranked 45th now.
The UN's World Population Prospects forecasts that with changing growth rate trends in 25 years (in 2050) Costa Rica's population will grow by 3.55% to 5,354,148 people with a rank change from 126th to 127th. The population of Malaysia will increase by 22% to 44,289,765 people and rank change from 45th to 49th.
Biggest cities by population
|
|
|
|---|---|
| City | Population |
| San Jose | 342K |
| Limon | 71.5K |
| Liberia | 65.9K |
| Alajuela | 44.4K |
| Puntarenas | 41.5K |
| Cartago | 22.8K |
| Heredia | 16.7K |
| Tamarindo | 7.13K |
| Santa Teresa | 3K |
|
|
|
|---|---|
| City | Population |
| Kuala Lumpur | 1.98M |
| Klang | 878K |
| Ipoh | 867K |
| Johor Bahru | 798K |
| George Town | 794K |
| Shah Alam | 741K |
| Subang Jaya | 708K |
| Petaling Jaya | 639K |
| Kuantan | 608K |
| Sungai Petani | 545K |
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Population differences between Costa Rica and Malaysia
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy | 81.2 years | 77 years |
| Average age | 37 years | 33.2 years |
| Median age | 35.6 years | 31.5 years |
| Male:Female ratio | 49.4:50.6 | 52.4:47.6 |
| Fertility rate | 1.33 births per woman | 1.55 births per woman |
| Population density | 260.2 ppl/mi² | 280.3 ppl/mi² |
Population map with other countries
Population
Growth rate visualization in other countries
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