Climate zones in Costa Rica, 1991 to 2020
Share of Costa Rica's classified land in each Köppen-Geiger zone in 1991 to 2020. Zones under 0.05% are left out. The 60,232 map cells used cover 99% of the country's outline (about 50,932 km²).
By major group: A (tropical) 88%, C (temperate) 12%, E (polar) 0.6%.
Costa Rica has no single dominant climate. The biggest zone, Af (tropical rainforest), covers only 43% of its classified land in 1991 to 2020, followed by Am (27%) and Aw (17%). 5 zones each cover 1% or more of it. In plain terms, tropical rainforest means hot, wet and green every month of the year. Under the middle-of-the-road scenario (SSP2-4.5), 13% of its land is projected to be in a different zone by 2071 to 2099, with the biggest gain going to Am (tropical monsoon).
How Costa Rica's zones have changed and may change
Each row compares a map with 1991 to 2020. "Share in a different zone" is the share of the country's area whose class is different from 1991 to 2020. Future rows are model projections under an emissions scenario, not forecasts.
| Map | Share in a different zone | Different major group | Biggest gain | Biggest loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1901 to 1930 (past) | 6.6% | 1.9% | Am +1.6 percentage points | Cwb -1.2 percentage points |
| 2071 to 2099, SSP1-2.6 (low emissions) | 11% | 2.6% | Am +1.8 percentage points | Cwb -2.8 percentage points |
| 2071 to 2099, SSP2-4.5 (middle of the road) | 13% | 4.5% | Am +2.2 percentage points | Cwb -3.1 percentage points |
| 2071 to 2099, SSP5-8.5 (high emissions) | 18% | 6.9% | Aw +3.1 percentage points | Cwb -3.3 percentage points |
For the past row, the comparison runs the other way: the 1901 to 1930 map against 1991 to 2020.
Zone shares by map
| Zone | 1901 to 1930 | 1991 to 2020 | SSP1-2.6 (2071 to 2099) | SSP2-4.5 (2071 to 2099) | SSP5-8.5 (2071 to 2099) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Af Tropical rainforest | 42% | 43% | 44% | 44% | 44% |
| Am Tropical monsoon | 25% | 27% | 29% | 29% | 30% |
| Aw Tropical savannah | 18% | 17% | 17% | 18% | 20% |
| Cfb Temperate oceanic | 8.7% | 8.4% | 9.3% | 8% | 5.9% |
| Cwb Subtropical highland (dry winter) | 4.6% | 3.4% | 0.5% | 0.3% | 0.1% |
| ET Tundra | 0.7% | 0.6% | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.1% |
| Cfc Subpolar oceanic | 0.1% | - | 0.1% | - | - |
Percentages are of the country's classified land in each map. A dash means under 0.05%.
Zones found in Costa Rica
Data: Beck et al. (2023), CC BY 4.0; country outlines from Natural Earth. In 1901 to 1930 the most common zone was Af. See data sources and licences.