Costa Rica vs Nicaragua
Costa Rica vs Nicaragua: Internet users
Internet users in 2024: 87.2% in Costa Rica and 61.4% in Nicaragua, by ITU estimates. In 2024 the value was higher in Costa Rica, by 25.8 percentage points, or 1.42 times that in Nicaragua.
% of people · ITU
What the numbers say
- Costa Rica has been higher since 1994.
- In 2024, Costa Rica ranked 73 and Nicaragua ranked 134 of 182 countries, counting from the highest.
- The world as a whole: 71.2% in 2024.
Every year
% of people · ITU
| Year | Costa Rica | Nicaragua | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | – | – | 73.6 |
| 2024 | 87.2 | 61.4 | 71.2 |
| 2023 | 85.4 | 60.3 | 69.2 |
| 2022 | 82.6 | 59.4 | 67 |
| 2021 | 82.8 | 51.6 | 63.8 |
| 2020 | 80.5 | 44.9 | 60.1 |
| 2019 | 81.2 | 39 | 53.9 |
| 2018 | 73.5 | 33.9 | 49.4 |
| 2017 | 71.6 | 30.4 | 46.3 |
| 2016 | 65.9 | 24.6 | 43.6 |
| 2015 | 59.8 | 19.7 | 39.9 |
| 2014 | 53 | 17.6 | 37.4 |
| 2013 | 46 | 15.5 | 35.3 |
| 2012 | 47.5 | 13.5 | 33.3 |
| 2011 | 39.2 | 10.6 | 30.9 |
| 2010 | 36.5 | 10 | 28.4 |
| 2009 | 34.3 | 7.3 | 25.3 |
| 2008 | 32.3 | 5.3 | 22.8 |
| 2007 | 28.4 | 3.9 | 20.2 |
| 2006 | 25.1 | 2.8 | 17.2 |
| 2005 | 22.1 | 2.6 | 15.6 |
| 2004 | 20.8 | 2.3 | – |
| 2003 | 20.3 | 1.9 | – |
| 2002 | 19.9 | 1.7 | – |
| 2001 | 9.6 | 1.4 | – |
| 2000 | 5.8 | 1 | – |
| 1999 | 3.9 | 0.5 | – |
| 1998 | 2.7 | 0.3 | – |
| 1997 | 1.6 | 0.2 | – |
| 1996 | 0.8 | 0.1 | – |
| 1995 | 0.4 | 0 | – |
| 1994 | 0.3 | 0 | – |
| 1993 | 0.1 | – | – |
| 1992 | 0 | – | – |
| 1990 | 0 | 0 | – |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- The share of people who used the internet in the last three months, from anywhere.
- Source: ITU, via the World Bank.
- Ranks count the 182 countries with a value in 2024, highest first.
- The faint line is the world as a whole, as the same source counts it.
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