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Safe Trip
Updated just now · v2.3

Costa Rica

Central America · capital San José · population 5,200,000
73
/ 100
, flat
Low risk · exercise caution
Photograph by Owen Hills-Klaus on Unsplash

Stable democracy and the regional eco-tourism leader; opportunistic theft in tourist hotspots is the dominant concern.

Read the Costa Rica safety guide
82
Disease
92
Conflict
61
Disaster
46
Crime
84
Unrest
80
Infra
What ministries say

Government advisories

  • UK · FCDOLevel 1
    See our advice before travelling
    Updated 19 May 2026 · Read full advisory
  • US · State DeptLevel 2
    Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution
    Updated 2 Apr 2026 · Read full advisory
  • AU · SmartravellerLevel 2
    Exercise a high degree of caution
    Updated 3 Jun 2026 · Read full advisory
Why this score

Active drivers

  1. earthquakeUSGSOfficial12 d ago
    M 4.5 - 17 km SE of Puerto Cortés, Costa Rica

    17 km SE of Puerto Cortés, Costa Rica

    Score impact: -1
  2. earthquakeUSGSOfficial20 d ago
    M 4.9 - 16 km ENE of Jacó, Costa Rica

    16 km ENE of Jacó, Costa Rica

    Score impact: -1
  3. earthquakeUSGSOfficial24 d ago
    M 4.5 - 5 km NW of Paso Canoas Arriba, Panama

    5 km NW of Paso Canoas Arriba, Panama

    Score impact: -1
FAQ

Frequently asked

Is it safe to visit Costa Rica right now?

Costa Rica's Safe Trip Score today is 73/100, low risk · exercise caution. The score has flat over the last 7 days, and the highest active advisory across the UK FCDO, US State Department, Smartraveller (AU), travel.gc.ca, Auswärtiges Amt, and France Diplomatie is Level 2. Travel advisories are nearly always region-specific even when the headline level is national; check the per-ministry advisories on this page for any zones to avoid in your itinerary. The score recomputes daily at 06:00 UTC from 3 active drivers plus the blended advisory tier.

Is Costa Rica safe to travel to?

Today's headline read is low risk · exercise caution (73/100). The six sub-scores break down to: disease 82/100, conflict 92/100, natural disasters 61/100, crime 46/100, civil unrest 84/100, infrastructure 80/100. Lower numbers indicate higher risk in that category. For trip-specific planning, the country safety guide covers neighbourhood-level patterns the headline number does not.

What is the current travel advisory for Costa Rica?

Costa Rica has 3 active advisories from major foreign ministries, ranging up to Level 2 on the standard 1 to 4 scale. The advisory cards on this page link to each ministry's full text. Travel advisories carve out specific districts or border zones as "avoid all travel" while keeping the rest of the country at a lower level; clicking through to the relevant section for your itinerary is the single highest-value 90 seconds of trip planning.

Has the situation in Costa Rica changed recently?

The 7-day Safe Trip Score change is +0 points. Day-to-day moves under 3 points are noise; moves of 3 to 7 points usually reflect a fresh advisory or a moderate-severity event; moves above 7 points typically come from a major advisory level change or a high-severity acute event. The recent-events feed and the 7-day timeline page identify the specific drivers.

How is the Safe Trip Score for Costa Rica calculated?

The score is a weighted blend of six sub-scores (disease 18%, conflict 22%, natural disasters 16%, crime 16%, civil unrest 14%, infrastructure 14%) plus a 20% blend of major foreign-ministry advisories. The methodology page documents the exact algorithm and the changelog tracks every weighting change. Score range is 0 to 100; 100 means very low risk, 0 means extreme risk.

When does the Costa Rica Safe Trip Score update?

Daily at 06:00 UTC after the morning ingestion sweep. Live event feeds (USGS earthquakes, GDACS disasters, WAQI air quality) update hourly throughout the day. Foreign-ministry advisories are checked daily. Last computed 3 Jun 2026, 14:14 (just now). The status page shows the freshness of every individual data feed.