Costa Rica vs Nicaragua
Costa Rica vs Nicaragua: GDP growth
GDP growth in 2025: 4.6% a year in Costa Rica and 4.9% a year in Nicaragua, by IMF estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Nicaragua, by 0.4 percentage points, or 1.08 times that in Costa Rica.
% a year · IMF
What the numbers say
- Nicaragua has been higher since 2025, when it overtook Costa Rica.
- In 2025, Costa Rica ranked 45 and Nicaragua ranked 35 of 143 countries, counting from the highest.
- The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Costa Rica at 3.5% a year and Nicaragua at 3.5% a year in 2031.
Every year
% a year · IMF
| Year | Costa Rica | Nicaragua |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4.6 | 4.9 |
| 2024 | 4.1 | 3.6 |
| 2023 | 4.8 | 4.4 |
| 2022 | 5.5 | 3.6 |
| 2021 | 8.2 | 10.5 |
| 2020 | -4.1 | -2.2 |
| 2019 | 2.7 | -2.9 |
| 2018 | 2.9 | -3.4 |
| 2017 | 4.2 | 4.6 |
| 2016 | 4.2 | 4.6 |
| 2015 | 3.7 | 4.8 |
| 2014 | 3.5 | 4.8 |
| 2013 | 2.5 | 4.9 |
| 2012 | 4.9 | 6.5 |
| 2011 | 4.4 | 6.3 |
| 2010 | 5.4 | 4.4 |
| 2009 | -0.9 | -3.3 |
| 2008 | 4.7 | 3.4 |
| 2007 | 8.2 | 5.1 |
| 2006 | 7.3 | 3.8 |
| 2005 | 4 | 4.2 |
| 2004 | 4.4 | 5.4 |
| 2003 | 4.3 | 2.5 |
| 2002 | 3.4 | 0.8 |
| 2001 | 3.5 | 3 |
| 2000 | 3.8 | 4.1 |
| 1999 | 4.1 | 7 |
| 1998 | 7.1 | 3.7 |
| 1997 | 5.5 | 4 |
| 1996 | 1.4 | 6.3 |
| 1995 | 4.2 | 5.9 |
| 1994 | 4.5 | 5 |
| 1993 | 7.1 | -0.4 |
| 1992 | 9.2 | 0.4 |
| 1991 | 2.3 | -0.2 |
| 1990 | 3.6 | -0.1 |
| 1989 | 5.7 | -1.7 |
| 1988 | 3.4 | -12.4 |
| 1987 | 4.8 | -0.7 |
| 1986 | 5.5 | -1 |
| 1985 | 0.7 | -4.1 |
| 1984 | 8 | -1.6 |
| 1983 | 2.9 | 4.6 |
| 1982 | -7.3 | -0.8 |
| 1981 | -2.3 | 5.4 |
| 1980 | 0.8 | 4.6 |
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
| Year | Costa Rica | Nicaragua |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 3.3 | 3.8 |
| 2027 | 3.5 | 3.8 |
| 2028 | 3.5 | 3.5 |
| 2029 | 3.5 | 3.5 |
| 2030 | 3.5 | 3.5 |
| 2031 | 3.5 | 3.5 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- How much the economy grew or shrank in a year, after inflation.
- Source: IMF, World Economic Outlook, October 2026.
- The dashed line is the IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026), a scenario rather than a forecast.
- Ranks count the 143 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
Costa Rica vs Nicaragua
Health
- Life expectancyCosta Rica: 80.8 years in 2023Nicaragua: 75 years in 2023
- Child mortalityCosta Rica: 1 per 100 live births in 2024Nicaragua: 1.1 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityCosta Rica: 6.5 per 1,000 live births in 2023Nicaragua: 12.3 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- Safe drinking waterCosta Rica: 80.5% in 2022Nicaragua: 55.5% in 2020
- DepressionCosta Rica: 2.91% in 2017Nicaragua: 2.85% in 2017
- Suicide rateCosta Rica: 7.8 per 100,000 people in 2017Nicaragua: 5.9 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationCosta Rica: 5.11 million people in 2023Nicaragua: 6.82 million people in 2023
- Population growthCosta Rica: 0.49% a year in 2023Nicaragua: 1.36% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateCosta Rica: 1.33 births per woman in 2023Nicaragua: 2.22 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationCosta Rica: 79.7% in 2025Nicaragua: 59.4% in 2025
- Median ageCosta Rica: 34.1 years in 2023Nicaragua: 25.3 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overCosta Rica: 11.7% in 2023Nicaragua: 5.4% in 2023
- Net migration rateCosta Rica: 0.2 per 1,000 people in 2023Nicaragua: -1.2 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingCosta Rica: 0% of GDP in 2025Nicaragua: 0.56% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsCosta Rica: $0 in 2025Nicaragua: $115M in 2025
- Military spending per personCosta Rica: $0 in 2025Nicaragua: $17 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingCosta Rica: 0% of government spending in 2025Nicaragua: 2.1% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelCosta Rica: 10,000 people in 2020Nicaragua: 12,000 people in 2020
- National powerCosta Rica: 0.03% of world capability in 2022Nicaragua: 0.04% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersCosta Rica: 0.41% of the labour force in 2020Nicaragua: 0.41% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsCosta Rica: 8 million TIV in 2019Nicaragua: 13 million TIV in 2019
- Arms exportsCosta Rica: 3 million TIV in 2009Nicaragua: 18 million TIV in 1993