Loading…
Sub-region of Americas · Country Index 2026
Central America
How are the countries of Central America doing?
Half of Central America’s 8 placed countries sit at or above 92nd of 174 in the Country Index 2026, which places the region 13th of 21 sub-regions. Costa Rica is placed highest, 40th; Nicaragua lowest, 132nd. None reaches the world’s top fifth.
01Who is in it
The countries of Central America
Alphabetical, with each country’s own banner photograph. The position is its place in the whole world ranking, never within the region.
Photo: Josh Steinitz · CC BY 2.0, greyscale
- Capital
- Belmopan
- People, 2023
- 411,106
- Land, 2024
- 22,810 km²
Country Indexjoint 92nd of 174
Placed highest on Peace & Security, 9th of 177
Photo: Henry Zbyszynski from Capitola California, USA · CC BY 2.0, greyscale
- Capital
- San José
- People, 2023
- 5,105,525
- Land, 2024
- 50,560 km²
Country Index40th of 174
Placed highest on Peace & Security, 2nd of 177
Photo: Renemgb · CC0, greyscale
- Capital
- San Salvador
- People, 2023
- 6,309,624
- Land, 2024
- 20,720 km²
Country Indexjoint 105th of 174
Placed highest on Work & Labour, 50th of 182
Photo: Arjuno3 · CC BY 2.0, greyscale
- Capital
- Guatemala City
- People, 2023
- 18,124,838
- Land, 2024
- 107,160 km²
Country Indexjoint 105th of 174
Placed highest on Environment & Sustainability, 7th of 161
Photo: Talk2winik · CC0, greyscale
- Capital
- Tegucigalpa
- People, 2023
- 10,644,851
- Land, 2024
- 111,890 km²
Country Indexjoint 118th of 174
Placed highest on Environment & Sustainability, 26th of 161
Photo: Jujutacular derivative work: Jjtkk · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
- Capital
- Mexico City
- People, 2023
- 129,739,759
- Land, 2024
- 1,943,950 km²
Country Index70th of 174
Placed highest on Mobility & Connectivity, 33rd of 147
Photo: Neil Palmer (CIAT) · CC BY-SA 2.0, greyscale
- Capital
- Managua
- People, 2023
- 6,823,613
- Land, 2022
- 120,340 km²
Country Index132nd of 174
Placed highest on Health & Wellbeing, 86th of 201
Photo: Brian Gratwicke derivative work: Jjtkk · CC BY 2.0, greyscale
- Capital
- Panama City
- People, 2023
- 4,458,759
- Land, 2024
- 74,180 km²
Country Index58th of 174
Placed highest on Peace & Security, 39th of 177
02The region
About Central America
The isthmus from Mexico to Panama, bridging the two continents.
In the UN’s classification Central America runs from Mexico to Panama, the land bridge between North and South America. Volcanic mountains form its spine, with the Pacific on one side and the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico on the other, and the Panama Canal cuts through its narrowest part.
The region was the heartland of the Maya and, further north, of the Aztecs. Spain ruled most of it from the sixteenth century until the independence movements of the early nineteenth, and Belize became independent from Britain in 1981. Spanish is the most widely spoken language, and many Indigenous languages, among them Nahuatl and the Mayan languages, are still spoken.
03Where
Central America on the map
Each member shaded by its position in the Country Index 2026, darkest for the best placed; the countries across its land borders in grey. Hover a country for its position, or select it to open its profile.
Country Index position: 1st174thMember, not placedAcross the border, another regionNot a country this site tracks
04Country Index 2026
Where Central America’s countries place
Best placed first. Every position is a place in the whole world ranking of 174, never a second list within the region; “=” marks a position shared with another country. Hover the ⓘ for where a country would sit if any one key statistic were dropped.
| In region | Country | In the world | 1st174th |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Costa Rica | 40 / 174between 37th and 41st if any one key were dropped · standings on 12 of 12 topics | |
| 2 |  Panama | 58 / 174between 54th and 63rd if any one key were dropped · standings on 12 of 12 topics | |
| 3 |  Mexico | 70 / 174between 62nd and 80th if any one key were dropped · standings on 12 of 12 topics | |
| 4 |  Belize | 92 / 174between 74th and 99th if any one key were dropped · standings on 12 of 12 topics | |
| 5 |  El Salvador | 105 / 174between 99th and 111th if any one key were dropped · standings on 12 of 12 topics | |
| 5 |  Guatemala | 105 / 174between 98th and 121st if any one key were dropped · standings on 12 of 12 topics | |
| 7 |  Honduras | 118 / 174between 110th and 126th if any one key were dropped · standings on 12 of 12 topics | |
| 8 |  Nicaragua | 132 / 174between 124th and 135th if any one key were dropped · standings on 11 of 12 topics |
Central America among the 21 sub-regions with a median
13th of 21. Nothing is weighted by population or size.
- 1Western Europe7th7 of 9Placed countries run from Switzerland 1st to France 25th.
- 2Northern Europe9th10 of 13Placed countries run from Ireland 2nd to Latvia 27th.
- 3Australia and New Zealand13th2 of 2Placed countries run from New Zealand 13th to Australia 14th.
- 4Eastern Asia18th4 of 8Placed countries run from South Korea 16th to Mongolia 80th.
- 5Northern America20th2 of 4Placed countries run from Canada 20th to United States 33rd.
- 6Southern Europe30th12 of 17Placed countries run from Slovenia 15th to Albania 57th.
- 7Eastern Europe41st10 of 10Placed countries run from Czechia 12th to Russia 85th.
- 8Polynesia64th2 of 7Placed countries run from Samoa 64th to Tonga 87th.
- 9South America74th12 of 12Placed countries run from Uruguay 35th to Venezuela 139th.
- 10Caribbean76th9 of 24Placed countries run from Barbados 55th to Haiti 168th.
- 11Western Asia80th17 of 19Placed countries run from Cyprus 36th to Yemen 172nd.
- 12South-eastern Asia90th11 of 11Placed countries run from Singapore 21st to Myanmar 152nd.
- 13Central America92nd8 of 8Placed countries run from Costa Rica 40th to Nicaragua 132nd.
- 14Central Asia104th5 of 5Placed countries run from Kazakhstan 62nd to Turkmenistan 133rd.
- 15Melanesia108th4 of 5Placed countries run from Fiji 66th to Papua New Guinea 145th.
- 16Southern Asia109th9 of 9Placed countries run from Maldives 50th to Afghanistan 171st.
- 17Southern Africa113th5 of 5Placed countries run from South Africa 94th to Eswatini 138th.
- 18Northern Africa125th6 of 6Placed countries run from Tunisia 105th to Sudan 173rd.
- 19Western Africa141st15 of 16Placed countries run from Ghana 99th to Mauritania 166th.
- 20Eastern Africa142nd15 of 19Placed countries run from Mauritius 46th to Somalia 174th.
- 21Middle Africa150th9 of 9Placed countries run from São Tomé and Príncipe 95th to Chad 170th.
- Micronesia—none placed
- Americas, the whole continent74th
- The world’s midpoint87th
1st174thmedianplaced
The square is each region’s median position; the grey bar runs from its best-placed to its lowest-placed country. Hover a row for their names.
05By subject
Topic by topic
Every country’s position on each topic, its shade darker the higher it sits in that topic’s field; select a cell for the country’s page on the topic. Strongest for Central America: Environment & Sustainability, 7th of 21 sub-regions. Weakest: Education & Knowledge, 19th of 22.
Columns run from the topic where Central America places best among sub-regions to the one where it places lowest. A region’s median on a topic needs at least two members with a standing; a hatched cell has no standing.
06In numbers
Central America in 6 numbers
Each line is every country in the world at its published value; Central America’s countries are the red ticks, and the dashed line is the world median. There is no regional average: a region has countries, not a life expectancy of its own.
GDP per person
international $, PPP · log scale
World Bank Group · 2025 · 185 countries · higher is better
Human development
HDI, 0–1
UNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · 193 countries · higher is better
Every value for Central America’s countries
| Country | Population 2023 | Land area 2024 | GDP per person 2025 | Life expectancy 2023 | Human development 2023 | Unemployment 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belize | 411,106rank 175 | 22,810rank 148 | 12,789rank 112 | 73.57rank 122 | 0.721rank 115 | 8.856rank 43 |
| Costa Rica | 5,105,525rank 125 | 50,560rank 126 | 28,443rank 66 | 80.8rank 46 | 0.833rank 62 | 6.843rank 59 |
| El Salvador | 6,309,624rank 112 | 20,720rank 150 | 12,050rank 115 | 72.1rank 138 | 0.678rank 132 | 3.303rank 132 |
| Guatemala | 18,124,838rank 69 | 107,160rank 102 | 12,987rank 111 | 72.6rank 132 | 0.662rank 137 | 2.604rank 157 |
| Honduras | 10,644,851rank 88 | 111,890rank 100 | 6,726rank 139 | 72.88rank 128 | 0.645rank 139 | 4.92rank 99 |
| Mexico | 129,739,759rank 10 | 1,943,950rank 13 | 21,912rank 79 | 75.07rank 108 | 0.789rank 81 | 2.673rank 155 |
| Nicaragua | 6,823,613rank 109 | — | 7,933rank 131 | 74.95rank 109 | 0.706rank 123 | 5.04rank 95 |
| Panama | 4,458,759rank 129 | 74,180rank 115 | 37,516rank 52 | 79.59rank 55 | 0.839rank 59 | 8.36rank 47 |
07In records
Central America in records
The member at the extreme of each statistic, read from its newest edition. Where two members share the top, no record is named.
Most populous
129,739,759
people
Largest by land area
1,943,950
square kilometres
Highest GDP per person
37,516
international $ at purchasing power parity
Longest life expectancy
80.8
years at birth
Highest human development
0.839
on the Human Development Index, 0–1
Perceived as least corrupt
56
on the Corruption Perceptions Index, 0–100
08Latest editions
Who rose and fell in the published ranks
The moves of Central America’s countries between each report’s two newest editions, in the publisher’s own ranks. A report whose field changed by more than 5% is left out.
Ranks as published by UNDP Human Development Report Office in the Human Development Index: reference years 2022 (192 countries ranked) → 2023 (193 ranked), both from its 2025 report.
Improved most
rank before → after- Costa Rica65 → 62+3
- Mexico84 → 81+3
- Belize118 → 115+3
Ranks as published by Transparency International in the Corruption Perceptions Index: the 2024 edition (180 countries ranked) → the 2025 edition (182 ranked).
Improved most
rank before → after- El Salvador130 → 120+10
- Guatemala146 → 142+4
Declined most
rank before → after- Costa Rica42 → 46−4
- Honduras154 → 157−3
- Nicaragua172 → 175−3
Ranks as published by UNDP Human Development Report Office in the Gender Inequality Index: reference years 2022 (172 countries ranked) → 2023 (172 ranked), both from its 2025 report.
Declined most
rank before → after- Honduras107 → 112−5
- Guatemala119 → 121−2
- Costa Rica54 → 55−1
Ranks as published by World Intellectual Property Organization in the Global Innovation Index: the 2024 edition (133 countries ranked) → the 2025 edition (139 ranked).
Improved most
rank before → afterNo country moved this way.
Ranks as published by Growth Lab at Harvard University in the Economic Complexity Index: reference years 2023 (145 countries ranked) → 2024 (145 ranked), both from its 2026 report.
Improved most
rank before → after- Panama69 → 57+12
- El Salvador72 → 60+12
- Nicaragua116 → 111+5
Declined most
rank before → after- Guatemala78 → 79−1
Ranks as published by Oxford Insights in the Government AI Readiness Index: the 2024 edition (188 countries ranked) → the 2025 edition (195 ranked).
Improved most
rank before → after- El Salvador145 → 104+41
- Guatemala135 → 129+6
- Honduras159 → 157+2
Declined most
rank before → after- Belize124 → 158−34
- Costa Rica61 → 79−18
- Panama89 → 102−13
09In context
Across the border
The countries outside Central America that share a land border with one of its members, with their world positions, and the sub-regions they belong to. Land borders only, as drawn on the map.
Northern America
South America
The neighbouring sub-regions
10Keep reading
Explore further
The rest of Americas
Northern America
Countries: Bermuda, Canada, Greenland, United States.20th
median of 174 · 2 of 4 placed
Canada 20th → United States 33rd
Caribbean
+14Countries: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Curaçao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Puerto Rico, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sint Maarten, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, United States Virgin Islands.76th
median of 174 · 9 of 24 placed
Barbados 55th → Haiti 168th
South America
+2Countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela.74th
median of 174 · 12 of 12 placed
Uruguay 35th → Venezuela 139th
11Method
Questions, method and sources
Which countries are in Central America?
8 countries and territories: Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and Panama. Membership follows the United Nations’ M49 classification.
Which country in Central America is placed highest?
Costa Rica, placed 40th of 174 in the Country Index 2026. Nicaragua is placed lowest, 132nd. 8 of the region’s 8 countries and territories are placed; the rest hold standings on too few topics.
How does Central America compare with other regions?
Half of its 8 placed countries sit at or above 92nd of 174, which places it 13th of 21 sub-regions. The median across Americas is 74th. The middle of the whole field is 87th. Nothing is weighted by population or size.
How many people live in Central America?
181,618,075 in 2023, the sum of the UN DESA Population Division’s figures for its 8 countries and territories.
What is the largest country in Central America?
By land area, Mexico: 1,943,950 square kilometres (2024). By population, Mexico: 129,739,759 people (2023).
How a region’s figure is made
- Membership. Countries belong to regions by the United Nations’ M49 classification; each country declares its sub-region, and a continent is the sum of its sub-regions.
- Positions. Each country’s position is its Country Index 2026 result, unchanged. This page slices the world ranking by place; it does not re-rank anyone.
- The median. A region’s figure is the median of its placed countries’ positions: half sit at or above it, half below. With an even number of placed countries it takes the better of the two middle positions, since there is no country at a half place. Countries the index does not place are named, never counted in.
- A place among peers. Continents are compared with continents and sub-regions with sub-regions, never a part with the whole that contains it; regions sharing a median share a place. Nothing is weighted by population or size, and population and land area are the only figures ever added up.
Where the regions come from
United Nations Statistics Division, Standard country or area codes for statistical use (M49). M49’s middle level (Sub-Saharan Africa; Latin America and the Caribbean) is left out, so every sub-region sits directly under its continent. Kosovo, Northern Cyprus and Somaliland are not in M49 and are placed by geography.
Where the positions come from
Every position is a country’s result in the Country Index 2026 or one of its topics, unchanged. The population and land-area figures are the UN DESA Population Division’s and the FAO’s, added up and shown with their year; every other statistic names its publisher beside its numbers.
Photographs
Each country’s own banner from its profile: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.
- Belize — Josh Steinitz, CC BY 2.0
- Costa Rica — Henry Zbyszynski from Capitola California, USA, CC BY 2.0
- El Salvador — Renemgb, CC0
- Guatemala — Arjuno3, CC BY 2.0
- Honduras — Talk2winik, CC0
- Mexico — Jujutacular derivative work: Jjtkk, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Nicaragua — Neil Palmer (CIAT), CC BY-SA 2.0
- Panama — Brian Gratwicke derivative work: Jjtkk, CC BY 2.0
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Central America: countries, population and rankings, Country Index 2026. https://nationsinquiry.com/regions/central-america