Country Details
Costa Rica
Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Nicaragua and Panama
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Environment
Detailed information and insights
Environmental issues
deforestation, largely from clearing land for cattle ranching and agriculture; soil erosion; coastal marine pollution; fisheries protection; solid waste management; air pollution
International environmental agreements
Party to
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling
Signed, but not ratified
Marine Life Conservation
Climate
tropical and subtropical; dry season (December to April); rainy season (May to November); cooler in highlands
Land use
Agricultural land
33.1% (2023 est.)
Agricultural land: arable land
arable land: 3.3% (2023 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent crops
permanent crops: 7.4% (2023 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent pasture
permanent pasture: 22.5% (2023 est.)
Forest
58.4% (2023 est.)
Other
8.4% (2023 est.)
Urbanization
Urban population
82.6% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization
1.5% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions
Total emissions
7.91 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke
58,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids
7.852 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
Particulate matter emissions
15.1 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Waste and recycling
Municipal solid waste generated annually
1.46 million tons (2024 est.)
Percent of municipal solid waste recycled
5.4% (2022 est.)
Total water withdrawal
Municipal
1.109 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)
Industrial
245.34 million cubic meters (2022 est.)
Agricultural
2.093 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)
Total renewable water resources
113 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)