Costa Rica
Capital: San Jose · High income · Pop. 5.1 million
Source: World Bank Open Data (WHO/UNICEF JMP & FAO AQUASTAT) · drinking water 2024
In Costa Rica, 80.5% of the population uses safely managed drinking water — an improved source, located on premises, available when needed, and free from contamination (2024 estimate). That leaves roughly 1.0 million people without safely managed drinking water at home.
Sanitation tracks closely: 26.29% use safely managed sanitation services and 98.79% have at least a basic service (2024).
Costa Rica has about 22,236 cubic meters of renewable internal freshwater per person each year. It withdraws the equivalent of 3% of those internal resources annually (low water stress).
Agriculture accounts for about 61% of Costa Rica's water withdrawals, the rest going to households and industry.
Common questions
How many people in Costa Rica have safe drinking water?
80.5% of Costa Rica's population uses safely managed drinking water (2024), per WHO/UNICEF data; about 1.0 million people do not.
Does Costa Rica have enough freshwater?
Costa Rica has roughly 22,236 m³ of renewable internal freshwater per person per year, and uses about 3% of it annually (low stress).