# Is Costa Rica safe in 2026?

> Costa Rica scores 90.3/100 on the live safety index — very safe. The main pressure on the score comes from crime, natural disasters, economy. The score has been stable for 23 days. The 24-hour AI forecast calls the trend stable (projected 90.3/100).

**Safety index:** 90.3 / 100 (higher is safer)
**Verdict band:** very safe
**Active combat confirmed in the last 24h:** no
**Stable for:** 23 days
**Canonical:** https://safemap.ai/country/costa-rica
**Generated:** 2026-09-01T04:13:17Z
**License:** CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) — reuse with attribution to safemap.ai and the timestamp of the numbers.
**Contact:** contact@safemap.ai

## Threat breakdown

| Category | Current | Cap |
|---|---|---|
| Crime | 5.0 | 15 |
| Natural disasters | 1.2 | 5 |
| Economy | 1.3 | 8 |
| Political instability | 1.6 | 15 |
| Ecology | 0.1 | 1 |
| Public health | 0.1 | 3 |
| Internet freedom | 0.2 | 7 |
| Military conflict | 0.2 | 30 |
| Nuclear risk | 0.0 | 12 |
| Sanctions | 0.0 | 4 |

## 30-day trend

Costa Rica's score fell by −4.5 over the last 30 days (94.8 → 90.3).

Aug 3 · 94.8 → Sep 1 · 90.3

## Official travel advisory

**Level 2 — Exercise Increased Caution.** The U.S. State Department places Costa Rica at Level 2 — Exercise Increased Caution citing crime. Our live index reads 90.3/100. That advisory was last revised Apr 2, 2026, 152 days ago; the index above is recomputed continuously from current reporting.

Source: U.S. Department of State (https://travel.state.gov/content/tsg_aem/us/en/home/international-travel/travel-advisories/destination.cri.html), revised Apr 2, 2026. Levels run 1 (normal precautions) to 4 (do not travel). This is not travel advice.

## Latest recorded events

- 2026-08-24T10:02:47Z — Strong tremor shakes Costa Rica: magnitude 5.4 earthquake in the early hours of Monday, August 24; get the details — disaster, severity 4/10 — El Tiempo — https://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/latinoamerica/fuerte-temblor-sacude-costa-rica-sismo-de-magnitud-5-4-en-la-madrugada-de-este-lunes-24-de-agosto-conozca-los-detalles-3580505
- 2026-08-08T21:12:13Z — Costa Ricans take to the streets to protest against the government — political, severity 4/10 — Reuters — https://www.reuters.com/video/watch/idRW405108082026RP1/
- 2026-07-25T05:54:46Z — Costa Rica captures most-wanted fugitive also sought by US, authorities say — crime, severity 5/10 — Reuters — https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/costa-rica-captures-top-fugitive-sought-by-us-authorities-say-2026-07-24/

## 24-hour forecast

Trend **stable**, projected score 90.3/100, generated 2026-08-31T23:00:43Z.

Recent tremor and protests are offset by a successful fugitive capture; no new escalation is evident.

## Compared with nearby countries

| Country | Score | vs Costa Rica |
|---|---|---|
| Costa Rica (this country) | 90.3 | — |
| Panama | 88.4 | −1.9 |
| Nicaragua | 69.0 | −21.3 |
| Honduras | 72.1 | −18.2 |
| El Salvador | 74.6 | −15.7 |
| Guatemala | 78.0 | −12.3 |

## How this number is computed

https://safemap.ai/methodology.md

## Citation

Global Safety Map, safemap.ai — safety index 90.3/100 for Costa Rica, as of 2026-09-01T04:13:17Z.

## License

The data is licensed under CC BY 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

You may reuse, redistribute and build on these numbers, including commercially, provided you attribute Global Safety Map (safemap.ai) and carry the timestamp of the figures you quote. A score without its timestamp is not attributed data — it is a stale number with our name on it.

Citation format: Global Safety Map, safemap.ai — safety index {score}/100 for {country}, as of {date}.

## Contact

Questions, partnerships or data-removal requests: contact@safemap.ai