Share of land area used for agriculture in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Share of land area used for agriculture was 33.1% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of land area used for agriculture in Costa Rica, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of land area.
Analysis
Costa Rica recorded 33.1% for share of land area used for agriculture in 2023.
That represents a change of down 6.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land area used for agriculture in Costa Rica peaked at 53.8% in 1984 and was at its lowest, 27.3%, in 1961.
Costa Rica ranks 117th of 209 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Share of land area used for agriculture in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 27.3% | — |
| 1962 | 27.6% | +1.1% |
| 1963 | 27.8% | +0.7% |
| 1964 | 29.1% | +4.6% |
| 1965 | 30.5% | +4.7% |
| 1966 | 32.0% | +5.1% |
| 1967 | 32.0% | +0.1% |
| 1968 | 33.6% | +4.9% |
| 1969 | 35.1% | +4.3% |
| 1970 | 36.3% | +3.7% |
| 1971 | 37.0% | +1.7% |
| 1972 | 37.0% | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 40.1% | +8.5% |
| 1974 | 40.1% | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 41.6% | +3.6% |
| 1976 | 43.2% | +3.9% |
| 1977 | 44.8% | +3.7% |
| 1978 | 46.2% | +3.2% |
| 1979 | 47.8% | +3.5% |
| 1980 | 49.3% | +3.0% |
| 1981 | 50.9% | +3.3% |
| 1982 | 52.5% | +3.1% |
| 1983 | 52.5% | +0.1% |
| 1984 | 53.8% | +2.5% |
| 1985 | 52.5% | -2.4% |
| 1986 | 51.2% | -2.6% |
| 1987 | 49.7% | -2.8% |
| 1988 | 48.2% | -3.0% |
| 1989 | 46.6% | -3.5% |
| 1990 | 43.1% | -7.5% |
| 1991 | 43.2% | +0.2% |
| 1992 | 42.3% | -2.0% |
| 1993 | 41.4% | -2.2% |
| 1994 | 41.0% | -0.9% |
| 1995 | 40.1% | -2.2% |
| 1996 | 39.1% | -2.6% |
| 1997 | 38.2% | -2.1% |
| 1998 | 37.5% | -1.9% |
| 1999 | 37.0% | -1.4% |
| 2000 | 36.0% | -2.5% |
| 2001 | 35.9% | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 35.8% | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 35.8% | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 35.7% | -0.4% |
| 2005 | 35.4% | -0.9% |
| 2006 | 35.5% | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 35.3% | -0.8% |
| 2008 | 35.1% | -0.4% |
| 2009 | 35.6% | +1.3% |
| 2010 | 35.6% | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 35.6% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 35.5% | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 35.3% | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 35.0% | -0.9% |
| 2015 | 34.5% | -1.4% |
| 2016 | 34.1% | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 33.8% | -0.9% |
| 2018 | 33.7% | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 33.6% | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 33.5% | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 33.3% | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 33.1% | -0.6% |
| 2023 | 33.1% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 30.6% | 27.3% | 35.1% | 9 |
| 1970s | 41.4% | 36.3% | 47.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 50.7% | 46.6% | 53.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 40.3% | 37.0% | 43.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 35.6% | 35.1% | 36.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 34.7% | 33.6% | 35.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 33.3% | 33.1% | 33.5% | 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 share of land area used for agriculture in Costa Rica?
- Share of land area used for agriculture in Costa Rica was 33.1% in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of land area used for agriculture recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 53.8% in 1984.
- What is the lowest share of land area used for agriculture recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 27.3% in 1961.
- How does Costa Rica rank for share of land area used for agriculture?
- Costa Rica ranks 117th out of 209 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of land area used for agriculture rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.0%. 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 (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of land area used for agriculture. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The share of land area used for agriculture, measured as a percentage of total land area. Agricultural land refers to the share of land area that is arable, under permanent crops, and under permanent pastures.