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Food & Agriculture

80th

of 184 countries placed

Placed from 4 of 4 key statistics

01The evidence

The 4 key statistics that decide it

Only these place Costa Rica on food & agriculture — one vote each. Every value is the publisher’s own, read at the edition the Country Index 2026 used; the grey ticks are every other country it was compared with, lowest on the left.

Why these keys
  1. Key 1 of 4

    Progress Toward Productive and Sustainable Agriculture (SDG 2.4.1 Proxy)

    Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

    Why it is a key

    2024 edition · data for 2024 · CC BY 4.0

    3.43

    Current status score, from 1 (worst) to 5 (best), averaged over up to seven sub-indicators

    Higher is better

    Costa Rica: 3.43. Across the 186 countries in this edition, values run from 1.67 (Tuvalu) to 4.57 (Italy); the world median is 3.14.

    World median
    3.14
    Best in Central America
    4 Guatemala
    Land neighbours
    Panama 2.71
  2. Key 2 of 4

    Cereal Yield

    Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

    Why it is a key

    2023 edition · data for 2023 · CC BY 4.0

    4,448

    Cereal yield (kg per hectare)

    Higher is better

    Costa Rica: 4,448. Across the 179 countries in this edition, values run from 23 (Cabo Verde) to 29,147 (Oman); the world median is 3,072.

    World median
    3,072
    Best in Central America
    4,477 Panama
    Land neighbours
    Nicaragua 2,515 · Panama 4,477
  3. Key 3 of 4

    Dietary Energy Supply

    Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

    Why it is a key

    2024 edition · data for 2024 · CC BY 4.0

    3,016

    Dietary energy supply (kcal per person per day)

    Higher is better

    Costa Rica: 3,016. Across the 155 countries in this edition, values run from 1,757 (Somalia) to 3,962 (United States); the world median is 2,982.

    World median
    2,982
    Best in Central America
    3,302 Mexico
    Land neighbours
    Panama 3,129
  4. Key 4 of 4

    Agriculture Orientation Index

    Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

    Why it is a key

    2024 edition · data for 2024 · CC BY 4.0

    0.22

    Agriculture orientation index (1.0 = spending matches sector size)

    Higher is better

    Costa Rica: 0.22. Across the 132 countries in this edition, values run from 0.03 (Ghana) to 5.38 (Singapore); the world median is 0.305.

    World median
    0.305
    Best in Central America
    0.88 Panama
    Land neighbours
    Panama 0.88

03In context

Costa Rica beside its neighbours

A position reads best beside the countries around it. Every position below is a place among all 184 countries on food & agriculture, never a place within the region.

Central America
1st184thNot placed · 40 countries with too few key statisticsNo data

The whole world on food & agriculture

Costa Rica and the countries it borders

Standing among all 184; the key columns are the publishers’ own values.

CountryStandingProgress Toward Productive and Sustainable Agriculture (SDG 2.4.1 Proxy)Current status score, from 1 (worst) to 5 (best), averaged over up to seven sub-indicatorsCereal YieldCereal yield (kg per hectare)Dietary Energy SupplyDietary energy supply (kcal per person per day)Agriculture Orientation IndexAgriculture orientation index (1.0 = spending matches sector size)
Panama=61st2.714,4773,1290.88
Costa Rica80th3.434,4483,0160.22
Nicaraguanot placed—2,515——

“—”: no published reading in that edition. What a standing is

Across Central America

Every country in the sub-region, by its place among all 184.

Placed either side on food & agriculture

The countries immediately above and below Costa Rica in the topic’s list.

04Context, no vote

Where Costa Rica is ahead of the world, and behind

28 more statistics filed under food & agriculture, published in full and deliberately given no vote in the standing. Select a row for the publisher, the rank and the links.

Every country

Ahead of the world median6

Statistics on which Costa Rica does better than the middle country measured.

  • Prevalence of UndernourishmentFAO · 2023 · world median 5.22.5▲ Improved since 2013

    Costa Rica: 2.5 · world median 5.2 · Population undernourished (%). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from 2.5 to 54.2; lower is better.

    Position 104th of 104 · derived, 1st = worst.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

  • Share of Dietary Energy Supply from Cereals, Roots and TubersFAO · 2022 · world median 4131▼ Worsened since 2012

    Costa Rica: 31 · world median 41 · Share of dietary energy supply from cereals, roots and tubers (%). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2022 edition, data for 2022.

    Published values in that edition run from 21 to 82; lower is better.

    Chart and every countryThe 2022 dataset

  • Prevalence of Severe Food InsecurityFAO · 2024 · world median 4.92.3▲ Improved since 2015

    Costa Rica: 2.3 · world median 4.9 · Population in severe food insecurity (%). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2024 edition, data for 2024.

    Published values in that edition run from 0.6 to 62.9; lower is better.

    Position 89th of 119 · derived, 1st = worst.

    Chart and every countryThe 2024 dataset

  • Livestock Production IndexFAO · 2022 · world median 107.06113.36▲ Improved since 2012

    Costa Rica: 113.36 · world median 107.06 · Livestock production index (2014–2016 = 100). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2022 edition, data for 2022.

    Published values in that edition run from 35.52 to 190.08; higher is better.

    Position 72nd of 194 · derived.

    Chart and every countryThe 2022 dataset

  • Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing Value Added per WorkerWorld Bank Group · 2025 · world median 6,74211,286▲ Improved since 2015

    Costa Rica: 11,286 · world median 6,742 · Agricultural value added per worker (constant 2015 US$). World Bank Group, 2025 edition, data for 2025.

    Published values in that edition run from 210.77 to 150,632; higher is better.

    Position 61st of 151 · derived.

    Chart and every countryThe 2025 dataset

  • Agricultural Emissions IntensityFAO · 2023 · world median 1.5651.26▼ Worsened since 2013

    Costa Rica: 1.26 · world median 1.565 · Greenhouse gases from farming per value of agricultural output (kg CO₂eq per international dollar). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from 0 to 28.2; lower is better.

    Position 113th of 190 · derived, 1st = worst.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

Behind the world median6

Statistics on which Costa Rica does worse than the middle country measured.

  • Organic Agricultural AreaFAO · 2024 · world median 0.7250.68No real change since 2014

    Costa Rica: 0.68 · world median 0.725 · Organic share of agricultural land (%). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2024 edition, data for 2024.

    Published values in that edition run from 0 to 86.38; higher is better.

    Position 80th of 150 · derived.

    Chart and every countryThe 2024 dataset

  • Per Capita Food Supply VariabilityFAO · 2024 · world median 2930▼ Worsened since 2014

    Costa Rica: 30 · world median 29 · Year-to-year variability of the food supply (kcal per person per day). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2024 edition, data for 2024.

    Published values in that edition run from 4 to 227; lower is better.

    Chart and every countryThe 2024 dataset

  • Fruit Supply per PersonFAO · 2023 · world median 84.8377.12▼ Worsened since 2013

    Costa Rica: 77.12 · world median 84.83 · Fruit available as food, excluding wine (kg per person per year). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from 4.27 to 379.63; higher is better.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

  • Vegetable Supply per PersonFAO · 2023 · world median 102.6971.77▼ Worsened since 2013

    Costa Rica: 71.77 · world median 102.69 · Vegetables available as food (kg per person per year). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from 6.89 to 412.72; higher is better.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

  • Food Production IndexFAO · 2022 · world median 106.08100.36▼ Worsened since 2012

    Costa Rica: 100.36 · world median 106.08 · Food production index (2014–2016 = 100). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2022 edition, data for 2022.

    Published values in that edition run from 71.08 to 177.49; higher is better.

    Position 141st of 195 · derived.

    Chart and every countryThe 2022 dataset

  • Crop Production IndexFAO · 2022 · world median 106.2396.09▼ Worsened since 2012

    Costa Rica: 96.09 · world median 106.23 · Crop production index (2014–2016 = 100). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2022 edition, data for 2022.

    Published values in that edition run from 53.79 to 189.93; higher is better.

    Position 147th of 195 · derived.

    Chart and every countryThe 2022 dataset

Level with the median, or no median to compare1

  • Legal Guarantees of Women's Equal Rights to LandFAO · 2025 · world median 33No earlier reading

    Costa Rica: 3 · world median 3 · Level of legal guarantees of women's equal rights to land ownership and control, 1 (lowest) to 6 (highest). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2025 edition, data for 2025.

    Published values in that edition run from 1 to 6; higher is better.

    Chart and every countryThe 2025 dataset

No better end15

These describe the shape of a country — more is not better or worse, only different — so they are never ahead or behind.

  • Fertilizer Consumption per HectareFAO · 2023 · world median 87.361,025No real change since 2013

    Costa Rica: 1,025 · world median 87.36 · Fertilizer consumption (kg per hectare of arable land). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from 0 to 2,926.

    Position 4th of 188 · derived, counted from the highest value.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

  • Pesticide Use per HectareFAO · 2024 · world median 1.7319.7Moved since 2014

    Costa Rica: 19.7 · world median 1.73 · Pesticide use (kg per hectare of cropland). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2024 edition, data for 2024.

    Published values in that edition run from 0 to 37.72.

    Position 13th of 178 · derived, counted from the highest value.

    Chart and every countryThe 2024 dataset

  • Cropland Nitrogen BalanceFAO · 2023 · world median 37.63161.15Moved since 2013

    Costa Rica: 161.15 · world median 37.63 · Nitrogen surplus (+) or deficit (−) on cropland, kg per hectare. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from -555.52 to 1,199.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

  • Cereal Import Dependency RatioFAO · 2022 · world median 42.892.5Moved since 2012

    Costa Rica: 92.5 · world median 42.8 · Share of the cereal supply that is imported (%). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2022 edition, data for 2022.

    Published values in that edition run from -1,894 to 100.

    Chart and every countryThe 2022 dataset

  • Livestock DensityFAO · 2023 · world median 0.5351.19Moved since 2013

    Costa Rica: 1.19 · world median 0.535 · Livestock units per hectare of agricultural land. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from 0.02 to 43.97.

    Position 39th of 188 · derived, counted from the highest value.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

  • Meat Supply per PersonFAO · 2023 · world median 57.8364.12Moved since 2013

    Costa Rica: 64.12 · world median 57.83 · Meat available as food (kg per person per year, carcass weight). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from 3.49 to 156.95.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

  • Fish and Seafood Supply per PersonFAO · 2023 · world median 16.1717.83Moved since 2013

    Costa Rica: 17.83 · world median 16.17 · Fish and seafood available as food (kg per person per year, live-weight equivalent). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from 0.38 to 83.81.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

  • Water Withdrawal by SectorFAO · 2022 · world median 62.1460.72Moved since 2012

    Costa Rica: 60.72 · world median 62.14 · Freshwater withdrawn for agriculture (% of total). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2022 edition, data for 2022.

    Published values in that edition run from 0 to 99.48.

    Position 89th of 171 · derived, counted from the highest value.

    Chart and every countryThe 2022 dataset

  • Fisheries and Aquaculture ProductionFAO · 2024 · world median 52,37544,308No real change since 2014

    Costa Rica: 44,308 · world median 52,375 · Fish, crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic animals caught or farmed, tonnes (live weight). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2024 edition, data for 2024.

    Published values in that edition run from 0 to 70,500,841.

    Chart and every countryThe 2024 dataset

  • Employment in AgricultureILO · 2025 · world median 14.3811.49No real change since 2015

    Costa Rica: 11.49 · world median 14.38 · Employment in agriculture (% of total employment). International Labour Organization (ILO), 2025 edition, data for 2025.

    Published values in that edition run from 0.095 to 85.34.

    Position 100th of 182 · derived, counted from the highest value.

    Chart and every countryThe 2025 dataset

  • Agricultural LandFAO · 2023 · world median 37.9633.14Moved since 2013

    Costa Rica: 33.14 · world median 37.96 · Agricultural land (% of land area). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from 0.445 to 86.48.

    Position 117th of 209 · derived, counted from the highest value.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

  • Agricultural EmissionsFAO · 2023 · world median 8,6355,984Moved since 2013

    Costa Rica: 5,984 · world median 8,635 · Farm-gate emissions (kt CO₂eq). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from 0 to 1,044,508.

    Position 117th of 193 · derived, counted from the highest value.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

  • Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing Value Added (% of GDP)World Bank Group · 2025 · world median 6.5723.366Moved since 2015

    Costa Rica: 3.366 · world median 6.572 · Agriculture, forestry and fishing value added (% of GDP). World Bank Group, 2025 edition, data for 2025.

    Published values in that edition run from 0.025 to 47.59.

    Position 106th of 158 · derived, counted from the highest value.

    Chart and every countryThe 2025 dataset

  • Arable Land per PersonFAO · 2023 · world median 0.1090.033No real change since 2013

    Costa Rica: 0.033 · world median 0.109 · Arable land (hectares per person). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from 0 to 1.459.

    Position 156th of 206 · derived, counted from the highest value.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

  • Land Under Cereal ProductionFAO · 2023 · world median 689,27818,758Moved since 2013

    Costa Rica: 18,758 · world median 689,278 · Land under cereal production (hectares). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from 0 to 103,715,108.

    Position 151st of 179 · derived, counted from the highest value.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

No current reading for Costa Rica

Agricultural Irrigated Land, Global Report on Food Crises and Women's Share of Agricultural Landowners. Listed rather than hidden, so the page can be checked against it.

“Position · derived” is this site’s ordering of the published values, 1st = best unless the row says otherwise; the publisher ranks no country on it. Rank, position and standing

06The top of the list

Who leads on food & agriculture

The three countries placed highest of 184, and the leaders Costa Rica can most readily be measured against.

All 184 countries
  1. 1

    Serbia

    Southern Europe

    1st of 184 · 4 of 4 keys

    Photo: Lošmi derivative work: Jjtkk · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale

  2. 2

    Austria

    Western Europe

    2nd of 184 · 4 of 4 keys

    Photo: chensiyuan · CC BY-SA 4.0, greyscale

  3. 3

    Malta

    Southern Europe

    3rd of 184 · 3 of 4 keys

    Photo: Dirk Heldmaier derivative work: Jjtkk · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale

Placed highest nearby

  1. Highest in Americas

    United States12th4/4 keys
  2. Highest in Central America

    Panama=61st4/4 keys
  3. This page

    Costa Rica80th4/4 keys

Positions out of 184 placed on the topic. A country needs readings on enough keys to be placed, and the top of the list is often held on fewer of them.

07Questions

Costa Rica on food & agriculture: questions answered

Every answer is built from the numbers on this page, so none can say something the page does not.

How does Costa Rica rank on food & agriculture?

Costa Rica is placed 80th of 184 countries on Food & Agriculture in the Country Index 2026, from 4 of its 4 key statistics (Progress Toward Productive and Sustainable Agriculture (SDG 2.4.1 Proxy), Cereal Yield, Dietary Energy Supply and Agriculture Orientation Index). The position is this site’s ordering of published statistics, not a rank any publisher printed.

What is the latest Progress Toward Productive and Sustainable Agriculture (SDG 2.4.1 Proxy) figure for Costa Rica?

3.43 in 2024 (current status score, from 1 (worst) to 5 (best), averaged over up to seven sub-indicators), according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The world median in the same edition was 3.14.

What is the latest Cereal Yield figure for Costa Rica?

4,448 in 2023 (cereal yield (kg per hectare)), according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The world median in the same edition was 3,072.

How does Costa Rica compare with Nicaragua on food & agriculture?

Nicaragua is not placed on Food & Agriculture, holding too few of its key statistics, and Costa Rica 80th. Cereal Yield: Nicaragua 2,515, Costa Rica 4,448.

How have Costa Rica’s food & agriculture figures changed?

Progress Toward Productive and Sustainable Agriculture (SDG 2.4.1 Proxy) fell from 3.57 in 2015 to 3.43 in 2024; Cereal Yield rose from 3,626 in 2000 to 4,448 in 2023; Dietary Energy Supply rose from 2,744 in 2001 to 3,016 in 2024; Agriculture Orientation Index fell from 0.3 in 2001 to 0.22 in 2024.

Which food & agriculture statistics are missing for Costa Rica?

No current reading is published for Costa Rica on Agricultural Irrigated Land, Global Report on Food Crises and Women's Share of Agricultural Landowners. They are listed rather than hidden, so the evidence on the page can be checked against it.

08Method

Method, sources and how to cite

What this topic does not measure

This subject is about production and land use, not about whether people are fed. Hunger, undernourishment and what a population actually eats are measured under Health & Wellbeing, and the two regularly disagree — a country can grow a great deal and still leave many people short, and one that grows little can be well fed by trade. The wider environmental cost of farming — emissions, water withdrawal, forest cover — is filed under Environment & Sustainability.

About food & agriculture, in full

How the Food & Agriculture standing is decided

A standing is this site’s ordering, named with its edition — never a publisher’s rank. 4 key statistics vote, one vote each; every country’s published value becomes a place within that key’s own field, the places are averaged, and the average is never published. A country needs 2 of the 4 keys to be placed.

The food & agriculture method, step by stepHow every standing on this site is built

The key statistics and their licences

The other 28 statistics on this page come from 3 publishers, each named beside its numbers, with every edition and licence on the datasets pages.

The standing itself is part of the Country Index 2026, published under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Photographs

Costa Rica’s banner and the countries placed highest, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.

Cite this page

Nations Inquiry (2026). Costa Rica: Food & Agriculture — standing and statistics, Country Index 2026. https://nationsinquiry.com/countries/costa-rica/food

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