Fossil fuel consumption (fuel Energy Institute – Stati) in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Fossil fuel consumption (fuel Energy Institute – Stati) was 38.06 terawatt-hours in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
38.06 terawatt-hours
Change on year
down 1.2%
World rank
114th
of 220 countries
All-time high
38.53 terawatt-hours
in 2023
All-time low
8.22 terawatt-hours
in 1986
Years of data
45
1980–2024
Fossil fuel consumption in Costa Rica, 1980–2024
Source: Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in terawatt-hours.
Analysis
In 2024, fossil fuel consumption in Costa Rica stood at 38.06 terawatt-hours.
The figure is down 1.2% on the previous year and up 22.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fossil fuel consumption in Costa Rica peaked at 38.53 terawatt-hours in 2023 and was at its lowest, 8.22 terawatt-hours, in 1986.
Costa Rica ranks 114th of 220 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.
Fossil fuel consumption (fuel Energy Institute – Stati) in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | terawatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 9.77 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1981 | 9.74 terawatt-hours | -0.3% |
| 1982 | 9.14 terawatt-hours | -6.3% |
| 1983 | 9.74 terawatt-hours | +6.7% |
| 1984 | 8.55 terawatt-hours | -12.3% |
| 1985 | 9.14 terawatt-hours | +6.9% |
| 1986 | 8.22 terawatt-hours | -10.0% |
| 1987 | 9.64 terawatt-hours | +17.2% |
| 1988 | 11.1 terawatt-hours | +15.2% |
| 1989 | 12.04 terawatt-hours | +8.5% |
| 1990 | 11.41 terawatt-hours | -5.3% |
| 1991 | 12.13 terawatt-hours | +6.3% |
| 1992 | 15.32 terawatt-hours | +26.3% |
| 1993 | 16.6 terawatt-hours | +8.3% |
| 1994 | 17.04 terawatt-hours | +2.7% |
| 1995 | 18.79 terawatt-hours | +10.3% |
| 1996 | 17.86 terawatt-hours | -5.0% |
| 1997 | 18.84 terawatt-hours | +5.5% |
| 1998 | 21.11 terawatt-hours | +12.0% |
| 1999 | 23.24 terawatt-hours | +10.1% |
| 2000 | 22.74 terawatt-hours | -2.2% |
| 2001 | 22.82 terawatt-hours | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 23.56 terawatt-hours | +3.2% |
| 2003 | 24.4 terawatt-hours | +3.6% |
| 2004 | 24.05 terawatt-hours | -1.4% |
| 2005 | 25.93 terawatt-hours | +7.8% |
| 2006 | 27.9 terawatt-hours | +7.6% |
| 2007 | 30.34 terawatt-hours | +8.8% |
| 2008 | 29.98 terawatt-hours | -1.2% |
| 2009 | 28.45 terawatt-hours | -5.1% |
| 2010 | 29.09 terawatt-hours | +2.2% |
| 2011 | 29.47 terawatt-hours | +1.3% |
| 2012 | 29.41 terawatt-hours | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 30.5 terawatt-hours | +3.7% |
| 2014 | 31.17 terawatt-hours | +2.2% |
| 2015 | 30.3 terawatt-hours | -2.8% |
| 2016 | 32.34 terawatt-hours | +6.7% |
| 2017 | 33.55 terawatt-hours | +3.7% |
| 2018 | 35.45 terawatt-hours | +5.7% |
| 2019 | 35.07 terawatt-hours | -1.1% |
| 2020 | 29.29 terawatt-hours | -16.5% |
| 2021 | 33.38 terawatt-hours | +14.0% |
| 2022 | 35 terawatt-hours | +4.9% |
| 2023 | 38.53 terawatt-hours | +10.1% |
| 2024 | 38.06 terawatt-hours | -1.2% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 38.06 terawatt-hours is below the median for high income countries, which is 117.38 terawatt-hours, 32% of the median. (76 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 38.06 terawatt-hours is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 34.38 terawatt-hours, 1.1× the median. (39 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 9.71 terawatt-hours | 8.22 terawatt-hours | 12.04 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1990s | 17.23 terawatt-hours | 11.41 terawatt-hours | 23.24 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2000s | 26.02 terawatt-hours | 22.74 terawatt-hours | 30.34 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 31.63 terawatt-hours | 29.09 terawatt-hours | 35.45 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 34.85 terawatt-hours | 29.29 terawatt-hours | 38.53 terawatt-hours | 5 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
More energy & mining data for Costa Rica
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- 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)
- Fuel imports 10.3% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fossil fuel consumption in Costa Rica?
- Fossil fuel consumption in Costa Rica was 38.06 terawatt-hours in 2024, according to Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fossil fuel consumption recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 38.53 terawatt-hours in 2023.
- What is the lowest fossil fuel consumption recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.22 terawatt-hours in 1986.
- How does Costa Rica rank for fossil fuel consumption?
- Costa Rica ranks 114th out of 220 countries with data for 2024.
- Is fossil fuel consumption rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 22.1%. 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) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Fossil fuel consumption. 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. Fossil fuels include coal, oil, and gas.