Costa Rica vs Mexico: Compare Statistics
Side-by-side comparison of 111 key metrics across economy, population, geography, and more — latest data through 2026.
Summary
Comparing Costa Rica and Mexico: Costa Rica leads on Radios (980,000) against Mexico (31); Costa Rica leads on Refined Petroleum Products Consumption (53,000) against Mexico (1.98); Costa Rica leads on Oil Consumption (47,000) against Mexico (2.07). Across 111 compared metrics, Costa Rica wins on 46 and Mexico wins on 57.
- Communications: 6 metrics compared
- Economy: 45 metrics compared
- Environment: 6 metrics compared
- Geography: 6 metrics compared
- Government: 4 metrics compared
- Health: 9 metrics compared
- Military and Security: 1 metric compared
- People and Society: 30 metrics compared
- Transportation: 4 metrics compared
Communications
6 metrics| Metric | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | 🇲🇽 Mexico | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet Usage Rate by Country (% of Population) | 85.4 %★ | 81.18 % | |
| Internet Users | percent of population: 85% (2023 est.) | percent of population: 81% (2023 est.) | |
| Press Freedom Index Score | 73.09 points★ | 45.55 points | |
| Radios | 980,000★ | 31 | |
| Televisions | 525,000★ | 25.6 | |
| Waterways | 730 | 2,900★ |
Economy
45 metricsEnvironment
6 metrics| Metric | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | 🇲🇽 Mexico | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual CO₂ Emissions Growth (abs) | 287,922★ | 2.73M | |
| Carbon Dioxide Emissions | 7.91★ | 441.05 | |
| Continental Shelf | 200 | natural prolongation of continental margin or 200 nm; | |
| Population Distribution | roughly half of the nation's population resides in urban areas; the capital of San Jose is the largest city and home to approximately one fifth of the population | most of the population is found in the middle of the country between the states of Jalisco and Veracruz; approximately a quarter of the population lives in and around Mexico City | |
| Total Renewable Groundwater Resources by Country | 37.31 Cubic meters per year | 150 Cubic meters per year★ | |
| Total Renewable Water Resources | 113 | 461.89★ |
Geography
6 metrics| Metric | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | 🇲🇽 Mexico | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage of land area by degree of urbanization | 3.41 %★ | 1.86 % | |
| Above-Ground Biomass in Forest (tonnes/ha) | 196★ | 52.44 | |
| Agricultural land | 16,651.72 sq. km | 1.04M sq. km★ | |
| Coastline Length (km) | 1,290 km | 9,330 km★ | |
| Dam capacity per capita | 382.59 cubic meters per inhabitant | 1,145.45 cubic meters per inhabitant★ | |
| Irrigated Land | 1,015 | 59,910★ |
Government
4 metrics| Metric | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | 🇲🇽 Mexico | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rule of Law Index by Country | 54.31 %★ | 17.92 % | |
| Administrative Divisions | 7 | 32★ | |
| Independence | 15 | 16★ | |
| Suffrage Participation Rate | 18 | 18 |
Health
9 metrics| Metric | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | 🇲🇽 Mexico | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes Deaths Per 100,000 (Age-Std) | 34.49★ | 93.85 | |
| Diabetes Prevalence (% of Population) | 9.8 | 16.4★ | |
| Health Expenditure (% of GDP) | 7.6 % of GDP★ | 6.1 % of GDP | |
| HIV/AIDS Adult Prevalence Rate | 0.5 % | 0.4 %★ | |
| Hospital Bed Density | 1.2 people/sq km★ | 1 people/sq km | |
| Maternal Mortality Ratio (%) | 24 %★ | 42 % | |
| Obesity Adult Prevalence Rate (%) | 25.7 %★ | 28.9 % | |
| People Living With HIV/AIDS | 16,000★ | 340,000 | |
| Underweight Children Under 5 | 2.9★ | 4.2 |
Military and Security
1 metric| Metric | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | 🇲🇽 Mexico | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Armed Forces Personnel (PPP) | 10,000 | 341,000★ |
People and Society
30 metricsTransportation
4 metrics| Metric | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | 🇲🇽 Mexico | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Travel Trips Per Capita (PPP) | 0.48 | 0.48 | |
| Airports | 132 | 1,580★ | |
| Civil Air Travel | 11 | 186★ | |
| Heliports | 8 | 488★ |