Costa Rica vs Uruguay

Costa Rica and Uruguay compared on 10 key figures from official sources. Each value is the latest one published for that country, so the year is shown with it.

• Costa Rica has about 1.5 times as many people as Uruguay: 5.2 million against 3.4 million in 2025.
• GDP per person in Uruguay ($25,216) is 26% higher than in Costa Rica ($19,970) in 2025.
• The economy grew faster in Costa Rica (4.6%) than in Uruguay (1.8%), a difference of 2.8 percentage points in 2025.
• Consumer prices rose faster in Uruguay (4.7%) than in Costa Rica (-0.1%), a difference of 4.8 percentage points in 2025.
• The unemployment rate was higher in Uruguay (7.5%) than in Costa Rica (6.8%), a difference of 0.7 percentage points in 2025.
• A baby born in Costa Rica can expect to live 2.7 years longer than one born in Uruguay: 81 years against 78.3 years in 2024.
• The population of Uruguay is older: half of its people are over 35.8 years, against 34.1 years in Costa Rica in 2023.
• A larger share of people used the internet in Uruguay (92%) than in Costa Rica (87.2%), a difference of 4.8 percentage points in 2024.
• CO2 emissions per person in Uruguay (2.6 tonnes) are 63% higher than in Costa Rica (1.6 tonnes) in 2024.
• Forest covers a larger share of the land in Costa Rica (59.1%) than in Uruguay (11.5%), a difference of 47.6 percentage points in 2024.