Change in cereal production, yield, land use and population in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Change in cereal production, yield, land use and population was 18,980 hectares in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
18,980 hectares
Change on year
up 1.2%
World rank
151st
of 186 countries
All-time high
163,884 hectares
in 1985
All-time low
18,758 hectares
in 2023
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Change in cereal production, yield, land use and population in Costa Rica, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Costa Rica recorded 18,980 hectares for change in cereal production, yield, land use and population in 2024.
That represents a change of up 1.2% on the previous year and down 63.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, change in cereal production, yield, land use and population in Costa Rica peaked at 163,884 hectares in 1985 and was at its lowest, 18,758 hectares, in 2023.
That places Costa Rica 151st out of 186 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 64 years of available data.
Change in cereal production, yield, land use and population in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 103,000 hectares | — |
| 1962 | 112,000 hectares | +8.7% |
| 1963 | 108,450 hectares | -3.2% |
| 1964 | 127,400 hectares | +17.5% |
| 1965 | 110,480 hectares | -13.3% |
| 1966 | 122,700 hectares | +11.1% |
| 1967 | 127,900 hectares | +4.2% |
| 1968 | 125,400 hectares | -2.0% |
| 1969 | 113,800 hectares | -9.3% |
| 1970 | 113,000 hectares | -0.7% |
| 1971 | 94,500 hectares | -16.4% |
| 1972 | 94,800 hectares | +0.3% |
| 1973 | 133,961 hectares | +41.3% |
| 1974 | 127,847 hectares | -4.6% |
| 1975 | 149,387 hectares | +16.8% |
| 1976 | 158,912 hectares | +6.4% |
| 1977 | 143,006 hectares | -10.0% |
| 1978 | 136,437 hectares | -4.6% |
| 1979 | 142,185 hectares | +4.2% |
| 1980 | 118,847 hectares | -16.4% |
| 1981 | 147,655 hectares | +24.2% |
| 1982 | 146,757 hectares | -0.6% |
| 1983 | 155,087 hectares | +5.7% |
| 1984 | 156,147 hectares | +0.7% |
| 1985 | 163,884 hectares | +5.0% |
| 1986 | 151,845 hectares | -7.3% |
| 1987 | 132,725 hectares | -12.6% |
| 1988 | 125,081 hectares | -5.8% |
| 1989 | 93,701 hectares | -25.1% |
| 1990 | 92,604 hectares | -1.2% |
| 1991 | 80,415 hectares | -13.2% |
| 1992 | 76,335 hectares | -5.1% |
| 1993 | 61,089 hectares | -20.0% |
| 1994 | 62,892 hectares | +3.0% |
| 1995 | 55,589 hectares | -11.6% |
| 1996 | 76,455 hectares | +37.5% |
| 1997 | 74,354 hectares | -2.7% |
| 1998 | 69,798 hectares | -6.1% |
| 1999 | 79,540 hectares | +14.0% |
| 2000 | 78,573 hectares | -1.2% |
| 2001 | 64,642 hectares | -17.7% |
| 2002 | 54,669 hectares | -15.4% |
| 2003 | 62,522 hectares | +14.4% |
| 2004 | 68,596 hectares | +9.7% |
| 2005 | 61,608 hectares | -10.2% |
| 2006 | 55,138 hectares | -10.5% |
| 2007 | 56,303 hectares | +2.1% |
| 2008 | 61,411 hectares | +9.1% |
| 2009 | 74,792 hectares | +21.8% |
| 2010 | 89,566 hectares | +19.8% |
| 2011 | 87,009 hectares | -2.9% |
| 2012 | 63,990 hectares | -26.5% |
| 2013 | 72,653 hectares | +13.5% |
| 2014 | 52,159 hectares | -28.2% |
| 2015 | 53,193 hectares | +2.0% |
| 2016 | 53,124 hectares | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 42,769 hectares | -19.5% |
| 2018 | 46,959 hectares | +9.8% |
| 2019 | 42,030 hectares | -10.5% |
| 2020 | 45,183 hectares | +7.5% |
| 2021 | 36,427 hectares | -19.4% |
| 2022 | 29,803 hectares | -18.2% |
| 2023 | 18,758 hectares | -37.1% |
| 2024 | 18,980 hectares | +1.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 116,792 hectares | 103,000 hectares | 127,900 hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 129,404 hectares | 94,500 hectares | 158,912 hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 139,173 hectares | 93,701 hectares | 163,884 hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 72,907 hectares | 55,589 hectares | 92,604 hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 63,825 hectares | 54,669 hectares | 78,573 hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 60,345 hectares | 42,030 hectares | 89,566 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 29,830 hectares | 18,758 hectares | 45,183 hectares | 5 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
- 148 Luxembourg 27,030 hectares compare
- 149 Bhutan 20,654 hectares compare
- 150 Cyprus 20,070 hectares compare
- 152 Palestine, State of 18,348 hectares compare
- 153 Comoros 11,707 hectares compare
- 154 French Guiana 8,928 hectares compare
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 change in cereal production, yield, land use and population in Costa Rica?
- Change in cereal production, yield, land use and population in Costa Rica was 18,980 hectares in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest change in cereal production, yield, land use and population recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 163,884 hectares in 1985.
- What is the lowest change in cereal production, yield, land use and population recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 18,758 hectares in 2023.
- How does Costa Rica rank for change in cereal production, yield, land use and population?
- Costa Rica ranks 151st out of 186 countries with data for 2024.
- Is change in cereal production, yield, land use and population rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 63.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Change in cereal production, yield, land use and population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 64 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Cereals include wheat, rice, maize, barley, oats, rye, millet, sorghum, buckwheat, and mixed grains.