Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Share of land area used for arable agriculture was 3.3% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of land area used for arable 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
In 2023, share of land area used for arable agriculture in Costa Rica stood at 3.3%. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
The figure is down 28.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land area used for arable agriculture in Costa Rica peaked at 5.6% in 1961 and was at its lowest, 3.3%, in 2020.
Costa Rica ranks 152nd of 206 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 arable agriculture in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 5.6% | — |
| 1962 | 5.6% | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 5.6% | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 5.6% | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 5.6% | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 5.6% | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 5.6% | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 5.6% | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 5.6% | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 5.6% | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 5.6% | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 5.6% | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 5.5% | -0.7% |
| 1974 | 5.5% | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 5.5% | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 5.5% | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 5.5% | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 5.5% | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 5.5% | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 5.5% | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 5.5% | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 5.5% | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 5.5% | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 5.5% | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 5.6% | +0.7% |
| 1986 | 5.6% | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 5.6% | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 5.5% | -1.8% |
| 1989 | 5.1% | -7.1% |
| 1990 | 5.1% | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 5.1% | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 4.9% | -3.8% |
| 1993 | 4.5% | -8.0% |
| 1994 | 4.5% | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 4.3% | -4.3% |
| 1996 | 4.1% | -4.5% |
| 1997 | 4.1% | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 4.1% | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 4.3% | +4.8% |
| 2000 | 4.1% | -4.5% |
| 2001 | 4.1% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 3.9% | -4.8% |
| 2003 | 4.1% | +5.0% |
| 2004 | 4.1% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 4.1% | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 4.1% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 3.9% | -4.8% |
| 2008 | 3.9% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 4.3% | +10.0% |
| 2010 | 4.4% | +2.3% |
| 2011 | 4.5% | +3.1% |
| 2012 | 4.5% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 4.5% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 4.5% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 4.3% | -4.7% |
| 2016 | 4.1% | -4.9% |
| 2017 | 3.9% | -5.1% |
| 2018 | 3.7% | -5.4% |
| 2019 | 3.5% | -5.7% |
| 2020 | 3.3% | -6.1% |
| 2021 | 3.3% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 3.3% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 3.3% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 5.6% | 5.6% | 5.6% | 9 |
| 1970s | 5.6% | 5.5% | 5.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.5% | 5.1% | 5.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.5% | 4.1% | 5.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.1% | 3.9% | 4.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.2% | 3.5% | 4.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.3% | 3.3% | 3.3% | 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 arable agriculture in Costa Rica?
- Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Costa Rica was 3.3% 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 arable agriculture recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 5.6% in 1961.
- What is the lowest share of land area used for arable agriculture recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.3% in 2020.
- How does Costa Rica rank for share of land area used for arable agriculture?
- Costa Rica ranks 152nd out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of land area used for arable agriculture rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 28.0%. 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 arable agriculture. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
The share of land area used for arable agriculture, measured as a percentage of total land area. Arable land includes land defined by the FAO as land under temporary crops (double-cropped areas are counted once), temporary meadows for mowing or for pasture, land under market or kitchen gardens, and land temporarily fallow.