Poverty at $6.85 a day — all countries

Poverty at $6.85 a day — Costa Rica

Poverty at $6.85 a day in Costa Rica in 2025 — 9.7%. Ranked 1 in the world out of 4. Since 1981, the indicator has fallen by 65.3 pp.

2025 9.7% −2.9 pp vs 2024
World rank 1of 4
Period maximum 75%1981
Period minimum 9.7%2025

Trend over time

1981–2025 · % of population

Poverty at $6.85 a day — Costa Rica, 1981–202502040608019811986199119962001200620112016202120251981: 75%1986: 69.8%1989: 51.9%1990: 51.2%1991: 55.8%1992: 53%1993: 45.9%1994: 41.8%1995: 41.9%1996: 45.9%1997: 42.7%1998: 37.3%1999: 41.3%2000: 41.4%2001: 32.1%2002: 31.8%2003: 30.4%2004: 32.2%2005: 29.6%2006: 29.4%2007: 24.3%2008: 23.3%2009: 22.8%2010: 18.8%2011: 19.8%2012: 18.4%2013: 18.4%2014: 18.3%2015: 17.5%2016: 17%2017: 15.8%2018: 16.5%2019: 16.7%2020: 23.3%2021: 17.8%2022: 17.1%2023: 15.3%2024: 12.6%2025: 9.7%
Change over the period: −65.3 pp Annual average: -1.48 pp
Poverty at $6.85 a day — Costa Rica, by year Costa Rica All countries CSV XLSX
Year % Change, pp
2025 9.7 −2.9 pp
2024 12.6 −2.7 pp
2023 15.3 −1.8 pp
2022 17.1 −0.7 pp
2021 17.8 −5.5 pp
2020 23.3 +6.6 pp
2019 16.7 +0.2 pp
2018 16.5 +0.7 pp
2017 15.8 −1.2 pp
2016 17 −0.5 pp
2015 17.5 −0.8 pp
2014 18.3 −0.1 pp
2013 18.4 +0 pp
2012 18.4 −1.4 pp
2011 19.8 +1 pp
2010 18.8 −4 pp
2009 22.8 −0.5 pp
2008 23.3 −1 pp
2007 24.3 −5.1 pp
2006 29.4 −0.2 pp
2005 29.6 −2.6 pp
2004 32.2 +1.8 pp
2003 30.4 −1.4 pp
2002 31.8 −0.3 pp
2001 32.1 −9.3 pp
2000 41.4 +0.1 pp
1999 41.3 +4 pp
1998 37.3 −5.4 pp
1997 42.7 −3.2 pp
1996 45.9 +4 pp
1995 41.9 +0.1 pp
1994 41.8 −4.1 pp
1993 45.9 −7.1 pp
1992 53 −2.8 pp
1991 55.8 +4.6 pp
1990 51.2 −0.7 pp
1989 51.9
1986 69.8
1981 75

About the indicator

The share of the population whose consumption falls below $6.85 a day at 2017 purchasing power parity — the highest of the three international lines of the World Bank. It is this line that shows how much more modest the fall in world poverty looks than the extreme line suggests: nearly half the population of the planet lives below this level, and over recent decades that share has been falling more slowly than the share of the destitute.

Important: It matches the typical national poverty lines of upper-middle-income countries. For rich countries even this line is low — there poverty is measured relative to median income rather than by an absolute amount.

Source: World Development Indicators (World Bank), license CC BY 4.0.