INEC's most recent National Household Survey reveals encouraging news: poverty in Costa Rica was reduced to 15.2 %, a drop of almost three percentage points with respect to the previous year.
This means that more than 40 thousand households managed to escape poverty during 2025. Extreme poverty also showed a significant improvement, dropping from 4.8 % to 3.8 %, representing nearly 15 thousand fewer households in this condition.
The study highlights that lhe urban area has a poverty rate of 13.6 %., The rural area reached 19.3 %. The regions with the Central and Chorotega are the lowest incidence., while the Huetar Caribe and the Brunca region continue to show the highest levels.
On the other hand, the average household income increased by 8.1 %, reaching ₡1 209 825 per month, with a marked difference between urban and rural areas.
Although multidimensional poverty remains at 9.9 %, the results reflect a slight overall improvement in the living conditions of Costa Rican families.