Forest area in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Forest area was 30,840 sq. km in 2023. ▲ Rising
Forest area in Costa Rica, 1990–2023
Source: FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in sq. km.
Analysis
The most recent figure for forest area in Costa Rica is 30,840 sq. km, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.5% on the previous year and up 5.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest area in Costa Rica peaked at 30,840 sq. km in 2023 and was at its lowest, 28,572 sq. km, in 2000.
Costa Rica ranks 90th of 214 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Forest area in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | sq. km | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 29,074 sq. km | — |
| 1991 | 29,024 sq. km | -0.2% |
| 1992 | 28,974 sq. km | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 28,924 sq. km | -0.2% |
| 1994 | 28,873 sq. km | -0.2% |
| 1995 | 28,823 sq. km | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 28,773 sq. km | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 28,723 sq. km | -0.2% |
| 1998 | 28,673 sq. km | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 28,622 sq. km | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 28,572 sq. km | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 28,586 sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 28,600 sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 28,614 sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 28,628 sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 28,642 sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 28,656 sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 28,670 sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 28,684 sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 28,698 sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 28,712 sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 28,876 sq. km | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 29,039 sq. km | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 29,203 sq. km | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 29,367 sq. km | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 29,530 sq. km | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 29,694 sq. km | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 29,858 sq. km | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 30,021 sq. km | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 30,185 sq. km | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 30,349 sq. km | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 30,512 sq. km | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 30,676 sq. km | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 30,840 sq. km | +0.5% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 30,840 sq. km is above the median for high income countries, which is 4,978 sq. km, 6.2× the median. (83 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 30,840 sq. km is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 9,261 sq. km, 3.3× the median. (42 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 28,848 sq. km | 28,622 sq. km | 29,074 sq. km | 10 |
| 2000s | 28,635 sq. km | 28,572 sq. km | 28,698 sq. km | 10 |
| 2010s | 29,448 sq. km | 28,712 sq. km | 30,185 sq. km | 10 |
| 2020s | 30,594 sq. km | 30,349 sq. km | 30,840 sq. km | 4 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
More agriculture & rural data for Costa Rica
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 4.56 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0337 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 672.15 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -1.57 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.2027 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 3.4% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 3.4% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.1% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest area in Costa Rica?
- Forest area in Costa Rica was 30,840 sq. km in 2023, according to FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest forest area recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 30,840 sq. km in 2023.
- What is the lowest forest area recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 28,572 sq. km in 2000.
- How does Costa Rica rank for forest area?
- Costa Rica ranks 90th out of 214 countries with data for 2023.
- Is forest area rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as part of Forest area (sq. km). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
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.