World Sites & Apps
North America · #107 · 2025–2026

Costa Rica: internet and everyday apps

Costa Rica has about 4.6 million people online — a penetration rate of 88.5% and rank #107 worldwide. This page walks through the local digital scene, the app categories people lean on, and 15 apps worth knowing.

Internet users 4.6 million Penetration 88.5% World rank #107 Updated 2026-11-12
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TL;DR
  • Costa Rica has roughly 4.6 million internet users (4,600,000 people) — about 88.5% of the population and rank #107 globally.
  • The apps people open most: WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube. They cover Messaging, Social, Video, Shopping, Payments, Mobility, Food, Tools and more.
  • The one to know first: WhatsApp — The most widely used messenger on earth.

Costa Rica in numbers

2025–2026
Internet users
4.6 million4,600,000 · #107
Penetration
88.5%#72
Population
5.2 million5,200,000 · #126
GDP
$97B#75
GDP growth
+4.1%#69
GDP per person
$18,596#81
Land area
51.1k km²#127
Capital
San José
Region
North America
Official languages
Spanish

How Costa Rica goes online

Nobody here asks for an account number: they ask for your phone and send a SINPE Móvil. That instant transfer became so ordinary that even the fruit seller accepts it. WhatsApp organises family and work; Facebook is left for news and neighbourhood groups. The banks apps are still there for anything formal, and local news sites get read with the morning coffee. The banks share one instant network, so the money lands before the message does.

Around 88.5%. With a population of about 5.2 million and 4.6 million online, roughly 600 thousand people are still offline — mostly because of rural coverage, device cost and age.

All 15 apps below are grouped by category.

What people actually use

15 Most-used apps

Messaging

1 Most-used apps →
WhatsApp Messaging · Meta · 2009

Social

2 Most-used apps →
Instagram Social · Meta · 2010 Facebook Social · Meta · 2004

Video

2 Most-used apps →
YouTube Video · Google · 2005 TikTok Video · ByteDance · 2016

Shopping

2 Most-used apps →
Mercado Libre Shopping · Mercado Libre · 1999 Amazon Shopping · Amazon.com, Inc. · 1994

Payments

2 Most-used apps →
Mercado Pago Payments · Mercado Libre · 2003 PayPal Payments · PayPal · 1998

Mobility

2 Most-used apps →
Uber Mobility · Uber Technologies · 2009 inDrive Mobility · inDrive · 2012

Food

2 Most-used apps →
Rappi Food · Rappi · 2015 PedidosYa Food · Delivery Hero · 2009

Tools

2 Most-used apps →
Google Tools · Google · 1998 Gmail Tools · Google · 2004

Websites people in Costa Rica actually use

12

The 12 sites locals open most often — news, shopping, search, banking and government services. Every link goes to the official site.

Banking3News1Shopping1Health1Utilities1Telecom1Mail1Education1Government1Travel1
BAC CredomaticBankingbaccredomatic.comRegional bank app for cards, transfers and monthly statements. Central Bank of Costa RicaBankingbccr.fi.crThe central bank: the colón, inflation and expectations surveys. Central Bank of Costa RicaBankingbcr.fi.crThe central bank and the colón. La NacionNewsnacion.comThe country's paper of record, read for politics and daily news. Mercado Libre Costa RicaShoppingmercadolibre.co.crMarketplace for household goods, car parts and second-hand electronics. Costa Rican Social SecurityHealthccss.sa.crSocial security portal for appointments and checking contribution status. Instituto Costarricense de ElectricidadUtilitiesgrupoice.comCosta Rica's state electricity and telecom group, handling power bills, internet and mobile lines. ICETelecomice.co.crThe state electricity and telecom institute. Correos de Costa RicaMailcorreos.go.crThe national post and its PO boxes. University of Costa RicaEducationucr.ac.crThe largest public university. Ministry of FinanceGovernmenthacienda.go.crTaxes and filing. Costa Rica Tourism BoardTravelvisitcostarica.comNational parks and seasons.

2808 websites →

Frequently asked questions

6 Q&A
How many people in Costa Rica are online?

About 4.6 million (4,600,000 people). That works out to roughly 88.5% of the population, which puts Costa Rica at #107 in the world for total internet users. Figures come from DataReportal’s Digital 2026, which draws on ITU and national statistics.

Which apps do people in Costa Rica use most?

Mostly WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube — they cover Messaging, Social, Video, Shopping, Payments, Mobility, Food, Tools. The full list, grouped by category, is further down this page.

What is the leading Messaging app in Costa Rica?

WhatsApp dominate this space. The best-known is WhatsApp — The most widely used messenger on earth.

How high is internet penetration in Costa Rica?

Around 88.5%. With a population of about 5.2 million and 4.6 million online, roughly 600 thousand people are still offline — mostly because of rural coverage, device cost and age.

Where do these app facts come from?

Usage figures come from DataReportal’s Digital 2026 (Kepios, based on ITU and national statistics); app details come from each product’s official site. Updated 2026-11-12.

Which websites are most popular in Costa Rica?

The everyday ones are La Nacion, Mercado Libre Costa Rica, BAC Credomatic, plus the other 12 sites listed above. They cover news, shopping, search, banking and official paperwork, and every link points to the official site.

Sources

Updated 2026-11-12
Cite this pageWorld Sites & Apps. “Costa Rica: internet and everyday apps”. 2026. https://abcvv.com/c/cr-en.html