87.2%
Internet penetration in Costa Rica in 2024, the latest available observation in this series.
Internet penetration history · CRI
Costa Rica internet penetration over time
The latest verified observation is 87.2% in 2024. The available series begins at 0% in 1990, a net change of 87.2 percentage points.
34 VERIFIED OBSERVATIONS · ITU VIA WDIQuick answers
+87.2 pp
Change between the first available observation in 1990 and the latest in 2024.
+6 pp
From 2019 to 2024, the observed rate changed by 6 percentage points, from 81.2% to 87.2%.
The first observation at or above 50% is 2014 (53%). The first observation at or above 75% is 2019 (81.2%).
Historical trend
Each point is an official observation returned by World Bank WDI for IT.NET.USER.ZS. Lines connect observed points for readability; they do not create data for missing years.
Year-by-year internet penetration
| Year | Internet users |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 87.2% |
| 2023 | 85.4% |
| 2022 | 82.6% |
| 2021 | 82.7% |
| 2020 | 80.5% |
| 2019 | 81.2% |
| 2018 | 73.5% |
| 2017 | 71.6% |
| 2016 | 65.9% |
| 2015 | 59.8% |
| 2014 | 53% |
| 2013 | 46% |
| 2012 | 47.5% |
| 2011 | 39.2% |
| 2010 | 36.5% |
| 2009 | 34.3% |
| 2008 | 32.3% |
| 2007 | 28.4% |
| 2006 | 25.1% |
| 2005 | 22.1% |
| 2004 | 20.8% |
| 2003 | 20.3% |
| 2002 | 19.9% |
| 2001 | 9.6% |
| 2000 | 5.8% |
| 1999 | 3.9% |
| 1998 | 2.7% |
| 1997 | 1.6% |
| 1996 | 0.8% |
| 1995 | 0.4% |
| 1994 | 0.3% |
| 1993 | 0.1% |
| 1992 | 0% |
| 1990 | 0% |
Download historical JSON → · Download historical CSV → · Compare countries →
What this measure means
On World Discovery, “internet penetration rate” and “internet users” both refer to the share of individuals who used the internet, matching World Development Indicators code IT.NET.USER.ZS. It is a population-use measure; it is not the same as fixed-broadband subscriptions, mobile subscriptions, connection speed or household access.
Compare internet users by country and year → · Explore the 2024 internet-use ranking →
Internet penetration here means individuals using the internet (% of population). It is reported as % of population. The indicator definition is: Individuals who have used the Internet from any location in the last 3 months.
This series is useful for questions such as “How has internet access changed in Costa Rica?” and “What is Costa Rica’s latest internet penetration rate?” It does not estimate people missing from the official observations.
Compare Costa Rica with similar regional rates
These Latin America & Caribbean countries have the closest latest observed internet-penetration rates in the same verified history dataset. The links are based on data proximity, not a claim of social or economic similarity.
Argentina
89.7% in 2024. Compare its verified historical internet-penetration series with Costa Rica.
Brazil
84.5% in 2024. Compare its verified historical internet-penetration series with Costa Rica.
Jamaica
90.1% in 2024. Compare its verified historical internet-penetration series with Costa Rica.
Dominican Republic
91% in 2024. Compare its verified historical internet-penetration series with Costa Rica.
Costa Rica in Latin America & Caribbean
Among the 32 countries from Latin America & Caribbean present in this verified 2024 dataset, Costa Rica ranks 7th. Its 87.2% observation is 7.7 percentage points above the regional median of 79.5%. This comparison only describes countries present in this same-year dataset.
Closest same-region observations: Argentina (89.7%) · Brazil (84.5%) · Jamaica (90.1%).
Source and methodology
Indicator: IT.NET.USER.ZS — Individuals using the Internet (% of population).
Source: International Telecommunication Union (ITU), World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, surfaced through World Bank World Development Indicators (WDI), Indicators API v2. License: CC BY-4.0.
Values are kept at their official observation years. Missing years are not backfilled, averaged or interpolated. This page is a historical observation series, not a revision comparison.
Keep exploring
Countries to compare with Costa Rica
Move through the 2024 ranking or compare Costa Rica with nearby values in Latin America & Caribbean .
Turkiye
87.3% in 2024 · 0.1 percentage points higher than Costa Rica.
Greece
86.3% in 2024 · 0.9 percentage points lower than Costa Rica.
Argentina
89.7% in 2024 · 2.5 percentage points higher than Costa Rica.
Brazil
84.5% in 2024 · 2.7 percentage points lower than Costa Rica.
Explore Latin America & Caribbean → · Compare all 182 countries →