Costa Rica vs Nicaragua: Urban population

Urban population in 2025: 79.7% in Costa Rica and 59.4% in Nicaragua, by UN estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Costa Rica, by 20.3 percentage points, or 1.34 times that in Nicaragua.

Watch it change on the map

% of people · UN

Costa RicaNicaraguaUN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025)

What the numbers say

Costa Rica has been higher since 1996, when it overtook Nicaragua.
In 2025, Costa Rica ranked 64 and Nicaragua ranked 135 of 229 countries, counting from the highest.
The UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025) puts Costa Rica at 85.3% and Nicaragua at 68.5% in 2050.

Every year

% of people · UN

Year	Costa Rica	Nicaragua
2025	79.7	59.4
2024	79.3	59.3
2023	78.9	59.1
2022	78.4	59
2021	78	58.9
2020	77.5	58.7
2019	77	58.5
2018	76.6	58.4
2017	76.1	58.2
2016	75.5	58
2015	75	57.8
2014	74.5	57.6
2013	73.9	57.4
2012	73.4	57.2
2011	72.8	57
2010	71.5	56.8
2009	70.1	56.7
2008	68.8	56.5
2007	67.5	56.3
2006	66.2	56.1
2005	64.9	55.9
2004	63.7	55.8
2003	62.5	55.6
2002	61.3	55.5
2001	60.1	55.4
2000	59.1	55.2
1999	58	55.1
1998	56.9	54.9
1997	55.8	54.8
1996	54.7	54.6
1995	53.6	54.5
1994	52.5	54.3
1993	51.5	54.1
1992	50.5	53.9
1991	49.5	53.7
1990	48.6	53.5
1989	47.7	53.3
1988	46.9	53.1
1987	46.1	52.9
1986	45.5	52.7
1985	44.9	52.4
1984	44.4	52.2
1983	43.9	51.9
1982	43.5	51.7
1981	43.2	51.4
1980	42.9	51.1
1979	42.6	50.8
1978	42.3	50.5
1977	42	50.2
1976	41.8	49.8
1975	41.4	49.5
1974	41.1	49.1
1973	40.7	48.7
1972	40.2	48.3
1971	39.5	47.8
1970	38.8	47.3
1969	38	46.5
1968	37.3	45.6
1967	36.5	44.6
1966	35.8	43.6
1965	35.2	42.6
1964	34.8	41.7
1963	34.5	41
1962	34.4	40.4
1961	34.2	39.8
1960	34.1	39.2
1959	34	38.6
1958	33.9	38.1
1957	33.8	37.6
1956	33.7	37.1
1955	33.7	36.6
1954	33.6	36.2
1953	33.6	35.8
1952	33.5	35.5
1951	33.5	35.2
1950	33.5	35

UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025) · 2026–2050

Year	Costa Rica	Nicaragua
2026	80.1	59.6
2027	80.5	59.8
2028	80.9	60.1
2029	81.3	60.3
2030	81.6	60.5
2031	81.9	60.8
2032	82.3	61.1
2033	82.6	61.3
2034	82.9	61.6
2035	83.1	61.9
2036	83.4	62.3
2037	83.6	62.6
2038	83.9	63
2039	84.1	63.3
2040	84.3	63.7
2041	84.5	64.1
2042	84.6	64.5
2043	84.8	65
2044	84.9	65.4
2045	85	65.9
2046	85.1	66.4
2047	85.2	66.9
2048	85.2	67.4
2049	85.3	67.9
2050	85.3	68.5

Each country on its own

Good to know

The share of people living in places the country itself counts as urban.
Source: UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025.
The dashed line is the UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025), a scenario rather than a forecast.
Ranks count the 229 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: Urban population

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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