Costa Rica vs Nicaragua: Renewable freshwater resources per capita
Costa Rica
22,236 cubic meters
in 2022
Nicaragua
23,209 cubic meters
in 2022
Costa Rica rank
29th
Nicaragua rank
28th
Renewable freshwater resources per capita over time
- Costa Rica
- Nicaragua
How they compare
Nicaragua currently reports 23,209 cubic meters against 22,236 cubic meters in Costa Rica, a difference of 973 cubic meters.
Across all 62 years both countries report, Nicaragua has been ahead every year.
Costa Rica ranks 29th and Nicaragua ranks 28th of 183 countries.
Nicaragua has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | Nicaragua | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 71,800 cubic meters | 75,538 cubic meters | 3,737 cubic meters | Nicaragua |
| 1970s | 54,814 cubic meters | 56,532 cubic meters | 1,717 cubic meters | Nicaragua |
| 1980s | 41,951 cubic meters | 42,885 cubic meters | 934.27 cubic meters | Nicaragua |
| 1990s | 32,504 cubic meters | 34,213 cubic meters | 1,709 cubic meters | Nicaragua |
| 2000s | 26,784 cubic meters | 29,385 cubic meters | 2,601 cubic meters | Nicaragua |
| 2010s | 23,627 cubic meters | 25,609 cubic meters | 1,982 cubic meters | Nicaragua |
| 2020s | 22,338 cubic meters | 23,504 cubic meters | 1,166 cubic meters | Nicaragua |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher renewable freshwater resources per capita, Costa Rica or Nicaragua?
- Nicaragua, at 23,209 cubic meters against 22,236 cubic meters in Costa Rica as of 2022.
- What is the difference in renewable freshwater resources per capita between Costa Rica and Nicaragua?
- 973 cubic meters, with Nicaragua ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and Nicaragua?
- 62 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 2022.
- How do Costa Rica and Nicaragua rank globally for renewable freshwater resources per capita?
- Costa Rica ranks 29th and Nicaragua ranks 28th of 183 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, FAO, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Renewable freshwater resources per capita. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Renewable internal freshwater resources flows refer to internal renewable resources (internal river flows and groundwater from rainfall) in the country.