Share of the population that owns a mobile phone in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Share of the population that owns a mobile phone was 85.2% in 2024. ▬ Flat
Share of the population that owns a mobile phone in Costa Rica, 2015–2024
Source: International Telecommunication Union – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of the population that owns a mobile phone in Costa Rica is 85.2%, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.7% on the previous year and down 0.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population that owns a mobile phone in Costa Rica peaked at 92.2% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 84.6%, in 2023.
Costa Rica ranks 103rd of 182 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Share of the population that owns a mobile phone in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 86.0% | — |
| 2019 | 91.8% | +6.7% |
| 2020 | 92.2% | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 89.9% | -2.5% |
| 2022 | 86.9% | -3.3% |
| 2023 | 84.6% | -2.6% |
| 2024 | 85.2% | +0.7% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 85.2% is below the median for high income countries, which is 97.0%, 88% of the median. (65 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 85.2% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 83.7%, 1.0× the median. (33 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 88.9% | 86.0% | 91.8% | 2 |
| 2020s | 87.8% | 84.6% | 92.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
- 100 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 85.9% compare
- 101 Saint Kitts and Nevis 85.8% compare
- 102 Tanzania 85.3% compare
- 104 Uzbekistan 84.8% compare
- 104 Vietnam 84.8% compare
- 104 Gabon 84.8% compare
More science & technology data for Costa Rica
- Mobile landline subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, gaps filled 136.03 (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per capita 1.36 units per person (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, gaps filled 6.98 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per square kilometre 133.51 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, annual growth rate 1.87 % change on previous year (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, annual growth rate 2.36 % change on previous year (2024)
- Patent applications, nonresidents, gaps filled 438 (2024)
- Patent applications, nonresidents 438 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the population that owns a mobile phone in Costa Rica?
- Share of the population that owns a mobile phone in Costa Rica was 85.2% in 2024, according to International Telecommunication Union – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population that owns a mobile phone recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 92.2% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of the population that owns a mobile phone recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 84.6% in 2023.
- How does Costa Rica rank for share of the population that owns a mobile phone?
- Costa Rica ranks 103rd out of 182 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of the population that owns a mobile phone rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from International Telecommunication Union – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population that owns a mobile phone. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Proportion of individuals who own a mobile telephone, by sex (%).