Where Costa Ricans move
51K Costa Ricans live abroad — #164 largest source of emigrants worldwide
Considering a move from Costa Rica? — See top destinations, regional flows, and how it's changed since 1990.
Where emigrants go
The top 3 countries receive 61% of all emigrants
↑↓ — change vs 2020
| Country | Emigrants |
|---|---|
| Panama | 14218 |
| Nicaragua | 11707 |
| Canada | 5117 |
| Mexico | 4592 |
| Colombia | 2070 |
| Italy | 1840 |
| Guatemala | 1373 |
| Chile | 1067 |
| Venezuela | 1012 |
| Peru | 912 |
| El Salvador | 901 |
| Honduras | 895 |
| Puerto Rico | 835 |
| Argentina | 719 |
| Australia | 674 |
| Brazil | 462 |
| Ecuador | 431 |
| Norway | 356 |
| Dominican Republic | 345 |
| Haiti | 277 |
| Denmark | 220 |
| Bolivia | 181 |
| Cayman Islands | 157 |
| Hungary | 116 |
| Guinea | 108 |
| Jamaica | 102 |
| Finland | 86 |
| Bahamas | 59 |
| Greece | 39 |
| Luxembourg | 33 |
| Iceland | 27 |
| Slovakia | 17 |
| Estonia | 12 |
| Bulgaria | 11 |
| Slovenia | 6 |
| Liechtenstein | 4 |
| Cyprus | 1 |
| Latvia | 0 |
By destination region
Latin America is the leading destination region at 83%
42.3K
5.1K
2.8K
674
108
1
Interesting facts
Notable statistics about emigration from Costa Rica.
Panama is the primary destination for emigrants
Panama attracts 28% of all emigrants from Costa Rica, while the second-largest destination receives just 23%.
Emigration has accelerated notably since 2020
The emigrant population grew 17% from 43.5K to 51K, indicating an acceleration in emigration flows following COVID and recent geopolitical shifts.
How emigration changed over time
Total emigrant population by year
| Year | Emigrants |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 22922 |
| 1995 | 22763 |
| 2000 | 26493 |
| 2005 | 30258 |
| 2010 | 34241 |
| 2015 | 39023 |
| 2020 | 43504 |
| 2024 | 50982 |
Top destinations over time
Emigration to the 5 largest destination countries
| Year | Panama | Nicaragua | Canada | Mexico | Colombia |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 3919 | 5959 | 1225 | 1929 | 326 |
| 1995 | 4155 | 4727 | 1622 | 2050 | 497 |
| 2000 | 4654 | 6948 | 2127 | 2185 | 646 |
| 2005 | 5121 | 9343 | 2854 | 2330 | 840 |
| 2010 | 6629 | 9989 | 4299 | 2500 | 1099 |
| 2015 | 7760 | 10772 | 4743 | 3104 | 1440 |
| 2020 | 9320 | 11281 | 4672 | 3900 | 1810 |
| 2024 | 14218 | 11707 | 5117 | 4592 | 2070 |
Fastest-changing destinations
How emigration to each country has changed since the selected year
Costa Rica as an emigration source
Share of immigrants in each country who originate from Costa Rica