The latest officially reported population of Costa Rica was 5,129,910 in 2024 vs 1,000 people in the Vatican in 2019. In 2025, based on the adjusted UN estimation, the current Costa Rica's population is 5,170,484 people compared to 949 in the Vatican.
Population statistics:
- Costa Rica's population is 5,448 times bigger than the Vatican's.
- Costa Rica is ranked the 126th most populous country in the world, while the Vatican is the 197th.
- The countries together account for 0.06% of the world: 0.06% for Costa Rica vs 0.00001% for the Vatican.
- For the last 10 years, Costa Rica has had an average growth rate of +0.77% per year vs +1.9% in the Vatican.
- Since 2005, the population of Costa Rica has increased from 4.26M people to 5.17M (21.3% growth), while the Vatican has grown from 921 to 949 (3.04% growth).
- Costa Rica is projected to reach its peak in 2044 at 5.38M people compared to the peak of 2.51K people in 2100 for the Vatican.
Costa Rica vs Vatican: live population counter
Costa Rica
|
Vatican
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Current population |
5170484
|
949
|
| Population rank | 126/197 | 197/197 |
| Percent of world population | 0.06% | 0.00001% |
| One net population change |
21.6 minutes
|
1 month
|
| One birth every |
10.1 minutes
|
n/a |
| One death every |
18.9 minutes
|
n/a |
| One migration net change every |
9.06 hours
|
n/a |
| Annual migration change | +967 | n/a |
| Daily growth/decline | +67 | +0 |
| Annual growth/decline | +24,385 | +0 |
| Annual growth/decline rate | +0.48% | +0% |
| Population growth rate rank | 138/197 | 165/197 |
Costa Rica and the Vatican: population history and growth rate by year chart
| Year | Population | Growth rate | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Costa Rica
|
Vatican
|
Costa Rica
|
Vatican
|
|
| 1960 | 1,327,496 | - | - | - |
| 1961 | 1,377,920 | - | 3.8% | - |
| 1962 | 1,429,445 | - | 3.74% | - |
| 1963 | 1,481,604 | - | 3.65% | - |
| 1964 | 1,533,960 | - | 3.53% | - |
| 1965 | 1,586,208 | - | 3.41% | - |
| 1966 | 1,638,116 | - | 3.27% | - |
| 1967 | 1,689,523 | - | 3.14% | - |
| 1968 | 1,739,731 | - | 2.97% | - |
| 1969 | 1,789,276 | - | 2.85% | - |
| 1970 | 1,838,949 | - | 2.78% | - |
| 1971 | 1,888,539 | - | 2.7% | - |
| 1972 | 1,938,248 | - | 2.63% | - |
| 1973 | 1,988,343 | - | 2.58% | - |
| 1974 | 2,039,643 | - | 2.58% | - |
| 1975 | 2,092,719 | - | 2.6% | - |
| 1976 | 2,147,774 | - | 2.63% | - |
| 1977 | 2,205,025 | - | 2.67% | - |
| 1978 | 2,264,510 | - | 2.7% | - |
| 1979 | 2,326,490 | - | 2.74% | - |
| 1980 | 2,390,633 | - | 2.76% | - |
| 1981 | 2,456,637 | - | 2.76% | - |
| 1982 | 2,524,806 | - | 2.77% | - |
| 1983 | 2,595,153 | - | 2.79% | - |
| 1984 | 2,667,595 | - | 2.79% | - |
| 1985 | 2,741,894 | - | 2.79% | - |
| 1986 | 2,817,216 | - | 2.75% | - |
| 1987 | 2,892,699 | - | 2.68% | - |
| 1988 | 2,968,103 | - | 2.61% | - |
| 1989 | 3,043,827 | - | 2.55% | - |
| 1990 | 3,121,706 | - | 2.56% | - |
| 1991 | 3,202,176 | - | 2.58% | - |
| 1992 | 3,284,258 | - | 2.56% | - |
| 1993 | 3,367,434 | - | 2.53% | - |
| 1994 | 3,451,122 | - | 2.49% | - |
| 1995 | 3,535,176 | - | 2.44% | - |
| 1996 | 3,619,013 | - | 2.37% | - |
| 1997 | 3,701,711 | - | 2.29% | - |
| 1998 | 3,782,838 | - | 2.19% | - |
| 1999 | 3,862,101 | - | 2.1% | - |
| 2000 | 3,937,739 | 880 | 1.96% | - |
| 2001 | 4,008,947 | 890 | 1.81% | 1.14% |
| 2002 | 4,075,705 | 900 | 1.67% | 1.12% |
| 2003 | 4,138,784 | 911 | 1.55% | 1.22% |
| 2004 | 4,200,078 | 921 | 1.48% | 1.1% |
| 2005 | 4,261,240 | 921 | 1.46% | 0% |
| 2006 | 4,321,340 | 932 | 1.41% | 1.19% |
| 2007 | 4,380,248 | 821 | 1.36% | -11.9% |
| 2008 | 4,440,056 | 824 | 1.37% | 0.37% |
| 2009 | 4,499,791 | 826 | 1.35% | 0.24% |
| 2010 | 4,555,962 | 829 | 1.25% | 0.36% |
| 2011 | 4,609,833 | 832 | 1.18% | 0.36% |
| 2012 | 4,663,934 | 836 | 1.17% | 0.48% |
| 2013 | 4,716,147 | 839 | 1.12% | 0.36% |
| 2014 | 4,767,119 | 842 | 1.08% | 0.36% |
| 2015 | 4,818,038 | 1,000 | 1.07% | 18.8% |
| 2016 | 4,866,998 | - | 1.02% | 0% |
| 2017 | 4,913,177 | 1,000 | 0.95% | 0% |
| 2018 | 4,957,818 | - | 0.91% | 0% |
| 2019 | 4,999,553 | 1,000 | 0.84% | 0% |
| 2020 | 5,034,320 | 987 | 0.7% | -1.29% |
| 2021 | 5,059,988 | 970 | 0.51% | -1.68% |
| 2022 | 5,081,765 | 944 | 0.43% | -2.66% |
| 2023 | 5,105,525 | 922 | 0.47% | -2.34% |
| 2024 | 5,129,910 | 933 | 0.48% | 1.2% |
| 2025 | 5,152,946 | 939 | 0.45% | 0.59% |
| 2026 | 5,174,780 | 952 | 0.42% | 1.37% |
| 2027 | 5,195,555 | 974 | 0.4% | 2.32% |
| 2028 | 5,215,247 | 985 | 0.38% | 1.13% |
| 2029 | 5,233,877 | 983 | 0.36% | -0.19% |
| 2030 | 5,251,495 | 976 | 0.34% | -0.75% |
| 2031 | 5,268,137 | 968 | 0.32% | -0.75% |
| 2032 | 5,283,807 | 968 | 0.3% | 0% |
| 2033 | 5,298,514 | 988 | 0.28% | 2.09% |
| 2034 | 5,312,162 | 992 | 0.26% | 0.37% |
| 2035 | 5,324,698 | 1,000 | 0.24% | 0.74% |
| 2036 | 5,336,133 | 998 | 0.21% | -0.18% |
| 2037 | 5,346,408 | 1,003 | 0.19% | 0.55% |
| 2038 | 5,355,519 | 1,022 | 0.17% | 1.83% |
| 2039 | 5,363,363 | 1,060 | 0.15% | 3.78% |
| 2040 | 5,369,806 | 1,095 | 0.12% | 3.3% |
| 2041 | 5,374,934 | 1,127 | 0.1% | 2.86% |
| 2042 | 5,378,670 | 1,149 | 0.07% | 1.96% |
| 2043 | 5,380,915 | 1,169 | 0.04% | 1.76% |
| 2044 | 5,381,720 | 1,186 | 0.01% | 1.42% |
| 2045 | 5,381,014 | 1,209 | -0.01% | 2.02% |
| 2046 | 5,378,757 | 1,224 | -0.04% | 1.22% |
| 2047 | 5,374,945 | 1,248 | -0.07% | 1.95% |
| 2048 | 5,369,577 | 1,272 | -0.1% | 1.92% |
| 2049 | 5,362,651 | 1,296 | -0.13% | 1.88% |
| 2050 | 5,354,148 | 1,325 | -0.16% | 2.27% |
From 2005 to 2015, the population of Costa Rica increased by 556,798 people (a 13.1% growth), while the Vatican gained 79 people (a 8.58% growth).
For the next 10 years, from 2015 to 2025, Costa Rica gained 352,446 (a 7.32% growth), while the Vatican's population decreased by -51 (a 5.1% decline).
Costa Rica was ranked 120th most populous country in 2005 and is 126th in 2025. The Vatican was ranked 197th in 2005 and still ranked 197th 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 the Vatican will increase by 39.6% to 1,325 people and will still be ranked 197th.
Biggest cities by population
|
Costa Rica
|
|
|---|---|
| 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 |
|
Vatican
|
|
|---|---|
| City | Population |
| Vatican City | 882 |
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Population differences between Costa Rica and the Vatican
|
Costa Rica
|
Vatican
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy | 81.2 years | 83.3 years |
| Average age | 37 years | n/a |
| Median age | 35.6 years | n/a |
| Male:Female ratio | 49.4:50.6 | n/a |
| Fertility rate | 1.33 births per woman | n/a |
| Population density | 260.2 ppl/mi² | 5,886 ppl/mi² |
Population map with other countries
Population
Growth rate visualization in other countries
Growth rate
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