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Costa Rica vs Kuwait

Flag of Costa Rica

Costa Rica

5,152,950#126 · +0.45%/yr
vs
Flag of Kuwait

Kuwait

4,865,298#127 · −0.65%/yr

Costa Rica has 6% more people than Kuwait: 5,152,950 vs 4,865,298, a gap of 287,652. Costa Rica is growing faster (+0.45% vs −0.65% a year), adding about 23,092 people a year against −31,860. At these source-year rates the modelled relative population gap is widening. Costa Rica is the older society: 12.8% aged 65+ against 3.2% in Kuwait. Kuwait is 2.7× as densely populated (272.4 vs 100.0 people per km²). People in Kuwait live 3.6 years longer on average (84.6 vs 81.0). GDP per capita is 1.6× higher in Kuwait ($32,312 vs $19,970).

Country/territory population bases: World Bank 2025 (Costa Rica) and 2025 (Kuwait); growth years 2025 / 2025. Annual source values, not live counts; years may differ. Growth is national, not local.

Costa Rica vs Kuwait — side by side

Flag of Costa Rica Costa RicaFlag of Kuwait Kuwait
Population5,152,95020254,865,2982025
Growth rate / yr+0.45%2025−0.65%2025
Births per 1,00010.0202410.02024
Deaths per 1,0005.620241.52024
Children per woman1.3220241.562024
Life expectancy81.0 yrs202484.6 yrs2024
Aged 0–1418.3%202518.0%2025
Aged 65+12.8%20253.2%2025
Density100.0 /km²2023272.4 /km²2023
Area51,100 km²202317,820 km²2023
Urban population79.7%2025100.0%2025
Net migration / yr+1,0002025+42,7752025
GDP per capita$19,9702025$32,3122025
Country population rank (available records)#126#127
Base / world population (World Bank 2025)0.06%0.06%

Highlighted cell = the higher value (not "better"). Small print under each value is its own data year. Source: World Bank; country/territory population bases may have different years. These are not live counts.

Population since 1960

World Bank population history (not the separate UN WPP timeline). Costa Rica: 3.9× from 1960 to 2025; Kuwait: 15.6× from 1960 to 2025. Left: absolute population. Right: each series indexed to its own first available year = 100; baseline years may differ.

01.4M2.7M4.1M5.5M1960197019801990200020102020Costa RicaKuwait0417834125216691960197019801990200020102020Costa RicaKuwait

More comparisons

Regions: Latin America & Caribbean · Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan · rankings

Costa Rica: Costa Rica vs Palestine, Costa Rica vs New Zealand, Costa Rica vs Mauritania, Costa Rica vs Kuwait, Costa Rica vs Panama, Costa Rica vs Georgia.

Kuwait: Kuwait vs New Zealand, Kuwait vs Mauritania, Kuwait vs Costa Rica, Kuwait vs Panama, Kuwait vs Georgia, Kuwait vs Croatia.

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This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.

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Interpretation reviewed 12 October 2026. Underlying reference years are stated on the page; this is not a fresh census or dataset refresh.