CNY
…
CRC
…
Land Area
China
9,596,961 km²
Largest
Costa Rica
51,100 km²
0.5% of largest
China is 187.81× larger than Costa Rica
Population
China
LARGEST
1.41B
PEOPLE
Costa Rica
0.4% OF LARGEST
5.15M
PEOPLE
China has 272.97× the population of Costa Rica
GDP
China
LARGEST
$19.5T
Costa Rica
0.5% OF LARGEST
$102.9B
Armed Forces
Active Personnel
China
LARGEST
2.04M
TROOPS
Costa Rica
0.0% OF LARGEST
0
TROOPS
Air Force
China
LARGEST
3.29K
AIRCRAFT
Costa Rica
0.0% OF LARGEST
0
AIRCRAFT
Naval Assets
China
Costa Rica
Wealth
Gold Reserves
China
LARGEST
2,279.6
Metric Tonnes
Costa Rica
0.0% OF LARGEST
0.0
Metric Tonnes
Foreign-Exchange Reserves
China
LARGEST
$3.27T
Reserves · excl. gold
Costa Rica
0.4% OF LARGEST
$14B
Reserves · excl. gold
Billionaires
China
MOST
473
billionaires
Costa Rica
—
Oil
Proven Reserves
China
LARGEST
26
Billion barrels
Production & Consumption
China
NET IMPORTER
Production
4.1M b/d
Consumption
15.4M b/d
−11.3M b/d net
Trade (Import/Export)
China
$3,753.1B
Exports
$3,753.1B
Imports
$3,219.3B
Trade Balance
+$533.7B
Trade Surplus
Costa Rica
$36.7B
Exports
$36.7B
Imports
$31.3B
Trade Balance
+$5.5B
Trade Surplus
Drinks per Person
Coffee
kg / person / yr
Costa Rica
supply
China
consumption
Tea
kg / person / yr
China
consumption
Costa Rica
supply
Beer
litres / person / yr
Costa Rica
supply
China
consumption
Wine
litres / person / yr
Costa Rica
supply
China
consumption
Alcohol
litres pure alcohol / person / yr
Costa Rica
consumption
China
consumption
Smoking
% of adults 15+ who smoke
China
Costa Rica
Per-capita — consumption where available, else FAOSTAT supply · alcohol = litres of pure alcohol; smoking = % of adults 15+ (WHO)
Olympic Medals
China
330
Gold
262
Silver
227
Bronze
819
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 727
❄ Winter: 92
Costa Rica
1
Gold
1
Silver
2
Bronze
4
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 4
❄ Winter: 0
Religious Demographics
Religious Distribution
Religious Composition by Country
China
Costa Rica
Age Demographics
Median Age
China
39.0
YEARS
10
30
50
70
Costa Rica
33.8
YEARS
10
30
50
70
Age Distribution
Population breakdown by age bracket (percentage)
Demographic Insights
Age Gap
China is 5.2 years older (median) than Costa Rica
Youth Population
Costa Rica has the highest youth population at 43.3% (under 30)
Elderly Population
China has the highest elderly population at 19.0% (60+)
Global Statistics
| Metric |
China
|
Costa Rica
|
|---|---|---|
| Travel & Mobility | ||
| Passport Power visa-free destinations |
85
|
— |
| Tourist Arrivals per year |
65.7M
|
— |
| Culture & Prestige | ||
| Nobel Laureates all-time |
8
|
1
|
| 3-Michelin-Star Restaurants current guide |
12
|
0
|
| UNESCO Heritage Sites inscribed sites |
56
|
4
|
Figures as of 2026. Sources: IMF, EIA/OPEC, Henley Passport Index, UNWTO, Forbes, Michelin Guide, Nobel Foundation, UNESCO World Heritage Centre.
Cost of Living
|
Metric
All indices use New York City as base (100)
Lower values indicate lower costs.
|
China
|
Costa Rica
|
|---|---|---|
| Cost of Living Index |
|
|
| Rent Index |
|
|
| Groceries Index |
|
|
| Restaurant Price Index |
|
|
| Local Purchasing Power |
|
|
| Common Expenses Comparison | ||
| Meal at Inexpensive Restaurant (USD) | $5 | $8 |
| Three-Course Meal for 2 (USD) | $25 | $35 |
| Monthly Rent - City Center (USD) | $600 | $650 |
| Monthly Rent - Outside Center (USD) | $380 | $450 |
| Monthly Utilities (USD) | $50 | $85 |
| Internet (60 Mbps, USD) | $20 | $35 |
| Monthly Public Transport Pass (USD) | $30 | $45 |
Health
Healthcare spending, capacity and outcomes. Sources: World Bank / WHO — the year tag shows each figure’s vintage; “—” means the country doesn’t report that metric.
Health spending / person
Costa Rica
China
Physicians per 1,000
China
Costa Rica
Hospital beds per 1,000
China
Costa Rica
Diabetes prevalence
China
Costa Rica
Obesity prevalence
Costa Rica
China
Suicide rate per 100k
China
Costa Rica
Want the long view?
GDP, population, reserves & trade for China vs Costa Rica — charted over the decades.
Basic Information
| Metric | China | Costa Rica |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1406585000 | 5152950 |
| Area (sq km) | 9596961 | 51100 |
| Capital | Beijing | San José |
| Official Language | Mandarin Chinese | Spanish |
| Currency | Renminbi (Yuan, CNY) | Costa Rican Colón (CRC) |
| Government Type | Unitary one-party socialist republic | Unitary presidential constitutional republic |
Military Strength
| Metric | China | Costa Rica |
|---|---|---|
| Active Personnel | 2,035,000 | 0 |
| Reserve Personnel | 510,000 | 0 |
| Total Military Personnel | 2,545,000 | 0 |
| Defense Budget (USD) | $292,000,000,000 | $0 |
| Tanks | 5,651 | 0 |
| Armored Vehicles | 35,000 | 0 |
| Self-Propelled Artillery | 4,120 | 0 |
| Towed Artillery | 6,246 | 0 |
| Rocket Projectors | 2,430 | 0 |
Economy
| Metric | China | Costa Rica |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (USD) | $19,498,039,388,043 | $102,904,921,157 |
| GDP Per Capita (USD) | $13,862 | $19,970 |
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 4.6% | 6.8% |
| GINI Index (Income Inequality) | 36.0 | 45.5 |
| Currency | Renminbi (Yuan, CNY) | Costa Rican Colón (CRC) |
| Loading current exchange rates… | ||
Interesting Comparisons & Trivia
Did You Know?
China is 187.8 times larger in area than Costa Rica.
That's a massive difference!
China has 273.0 times more people than Costa Rica.
With over a billion people, that's more than 1/8 of humanity!
Costa Rica has the highest GDP per capita at $19,970 among the selected countries.
China has the largest economy with a GDP of
$19.5 trillion.
China has the largest active military personnel with 2,035,000 troops.
China has the largest air force with 3,285 aircraft.
China has the largest navy with 777 vessels.
China Fact: China produces more than 1.4 billion tons of rice annually, feeding nearly 20% of the world's population.
China vs Costa Rica: Key Comparisons
Economy: China's GDP of $19.5T is 189.5x larger than Costa Rica's $103B — both among the world's largest economies.
Population: China's population of 1.4B is 273.0x larger than Costa Rica's 5M.
Area: China covers 9,596,961 km², making it 187.8x larger than Costa Rica.
Trade: China runs a trade surplus of $534B while Costa Rica runs a trade surplus of $5B.
Life Expectancy: Costa Rica leads with a life expectancy of 81 years vs China's 78.
Data compiled from World Bank, IMF, Global Firepower, SIPRI, Numbeo, and Pew Research.
Last updated August 2026.
Sources & methodology