Primary energy use in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Primary energy use was 49.39 terawatt-hours in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
49.39 terawatt-hours
Change on year
down 2.6%
World rank
118th
of 219 countries
All-time high
50.69 terawatt-hours
in 2023
All-time low
11.11 terawatt-hours
in 1984
Years of data
45
1980–2024
Primary energy use in Costa Rica, 1980–2024
Source: Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in terawatt-hours.
Analysis
In 2024, primary energy use in Costa Rica stood at 49.39 terawatt-hours.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.6% on the previous year and up 21.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary energy use in Costa Rica peaked at 50.69 terawatt-hours in 2023 and was at its lowest, 11.11 terawatt-hours, in 1984.
Costa Rica ranks 118th of 219 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Primary energy use in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | terawatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 11.89 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1981 | 12.03 terawatt-hours | +1.1% |
| 1982 | 11.41 terawatt-hours | -5.1% |
| 1983 | 12.09 terawatt-hours | +5.9% |
| 1984 | 11.11 terawatt-hours | -8.1% |
| 1985 | 11.85 terawatt-hours | +6.6% |
| 1986 | 11.19 terawatt-hours | -5.6% |
| 1987 | 12.8 terawatt-hours | +14.5% |
| 1988 | 14.34 terawatt-hours | +12.0% |
| 1989 | 15.47 terawatt-hours | +7.9% |
| 1990 | 14.92 terawatt-hours | -3.6% |
| 1991 | 15.8 terawatt-hours | +5.9% |
| 1992 | 19.3 terawatt-hours | +22.2% |
| 1993 | 21.01 terawatt-hours | +8.8% |
| 1994 | 21.42 terawatt-hours | +1.9% |
| 1995 | 22.7 terawatt-hours | +6.0% |
| 1996 | 22.32 terawatt-hours | -1.7% |
| 1997 | 24.14 terawatt-hours | +8.1% |
| 1998 | 26.03 terawatt-hours | +7.8% |
| 1999 | 29.12 terawatt-hours | +11.9% |
| 2000 | 29.09 terawatt-hours | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 29.61 terawatt-hours | +1.8% |
| 2002 | 30.78 terawatt-hours | +3.9% |
| 2003 | 32.18 terawatt-hours | +4.6% |
| 2004 | 32.23 terawatt-hours | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 34.24 terawatt-hours | +6.3% |
| 2006 | 36.23 terawatt-hours | +5.8% |
| 2007 | 38.92 terawatt-hours | +7.4% |
| 2008 | 38.79 terawatt-hours | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 37.49 terawatt-hours | -3.4% |
| 2010 | 38.26 terawatt-hours | +2.1% |
| 2011 | 38.59 terawatt-hours | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 39.03 terawatt-hours | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 39.87 terawatt-hours | +2.1% |
| 2014 | 40.83 terawatt-hours | +2.4% |
| 2015 | 41.16 terawatt-hours | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 43.51 terawatt-hours | +5.7% |
| 2017 | 44.91 terawatt-hours | +3.2% |
| 2018 | 46.81 terawatt-hours | +4.2% |
| 2019 | 46.71 terawatt-hours | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 40.79 terawatt-hours | -12.7% |
| 2021 | 45.41 terawatt-hours | +11.3% |
| 2022 | 46.83 terawatt-hours | +3.1% |
| 2023 | 50.69 terawatt-hours | +8.2% |
| 2024 | 49.39 terawatt-hours | -2.6% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 49.39 terawatt-hours is below the median for high income countries, which is 158.21 terawatt-hours, 31% of the median. (75 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 49.39 terawatt-hours is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 46.81 terawatt-hours, 1.1× the median. (39 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 12.42 terawatt-hours | 11.11 terawatt-hours | 15.47 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1990s | 21.68 terawatt-hours | 14.92 terawatt-hours | 29.12 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2000s | 33.96 terawatt-hours | 29.09 terawatt-hours | 38.92 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 41.97 terawatt-hours | 38.26 terawatt-hours | 46.81 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 46.62 terawatt-hours | 40.79 terawatt-hours | 50.69 terawatt-hours | 5 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
More energy & mining data for Costa Rica
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate -2.57 % change on previous year (2024)
- Coal consumption, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Coal consumption, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Coal production, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Coal production, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Fuel imports 10.3% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is primary energy use in Costa Rica?
- Primary energy use in Costa Rica was 49.39 terawatt-hours in 2024, according to Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest primary energy use recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 50.69 terawatt-hours in 2023.
- What is the lowest primary energy use recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.11 terawatt-hours in 1984.
- How does Costa Rica rank for primary energy use?
- Costa Rica ranks 118th out of 219 countries with data for 2024.
- Is primary energy use rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 21.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Primary energy use. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Measured in terawatt-hours of total energy supply.