Which has higher forest area, Costa Rica or Nicaragua?

Nicaragua, at 31,075 sq. km against 30,840 sq. km in Costa Rica as of 2023.

What is the difference in forest area between Costa Rica and Nicaragua?

235 sq. km, with Nicaragua ahead.

How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and Nicaragua?

34 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2023.

Where does this data come from?

FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as Forest area (sq. km). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Costa Rica vs Nicaragua: Forest area

Costa Rica

30,840 sq. km

in 2023

Nicaragua

31,075 sq. km

in 2023

Costa Rica rank

90th

Nicaragua rank

89th

Forest area over time

Costa Rica
Nicaragua

How they compare

Nicaragua currently reports 31,075 sq. km against 30,840 sq. km in Costa Rica, a difference of 235 sq. km.

Across all 34 years both countries report, Nicaragua has been ahead every year.

Costa Rica ranks 90th and Nicaragua ranks 89th of 213 countries.

Nicaragua has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Costa Rica	Nicaragua	Difference	Ahead
1990s	28,848 sq. km	59,493 sq. km	30,645 sq. km	Nicaragua
2000s	28,635 sq. km	48,543 sq. km	19,908 sq. km	Nicaragua
2010s	29,448 sq. km	38,917 sq. km	9,469 sq. km	Nicaragua
2020s	30,594 sq. km	32,575 sq. km	1,981 sq. km	Nicaragua

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher forest area, Costa Rica or Nicaragua?: Nicaragua, at 31,075 sq. km against 30,840 sq. km in Costa Rica as of 2023.
What is the difference in forest area between Costa Rica and Nicaragua?: 235 sq. km, with Nicaragua ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and Nicaragua?: 34 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2023.
How do Costa Rica and Nicaragua rank globally for forest area?: Costa Rica ranks 90th and Nicaragua ranks 89th of 213 countries.
Where does this data come from?: FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as Forest area (sq. km). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Costa Rica vs Nicaragua: Forest area. Statizoid, drawing on FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Retrieved 31 August 2026, from https://agriculture.statizoid.com/compare/forest-area-sq-km/costa-rica/nicaragua/

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About this data

Indicator: Forest area (sq. km)
Unit: sq. km
Source: FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage: 261 places, 8,639 data points, 1990–2023
Last refreshed: 20 August 2026

Forest area is land under natural or planted stands of trees of at least 5 meters in situ, whether productive or not, and excludes tree stands in agricultural production systems (for example, in fruit plantations and agroforestry systems) and trees in urban parks and gardens.