Published on Friday, June 26, 2026
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

Costa Rica's forests continue to play a key role in combating climate change, increasing the amount of carbon they store by approximately 9.8 million metric tons between 2013 and 2023, according to a study released by the Central Bank of Costa Rica (BCCR).

The increase confirms that the country's forests remain a net carbon sink, absorbing more carbon dioxide than they release into the atmosphere.

The BCCR defines carbon sequestration as the natural process of capturing and storing carbon in a carbon pool. The process plays a critical role in regulating the global carbon cycle and reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide, helping limit the effects of climate change.

Most of the additional carbon storage occurred in Costa Rica's humid and very humid forests, according to the bank's Forest Accounts report covering the 2013 to 2023 period.

The report found that Costa Rica's forest cover has remained stable over the past decade, with forests covering nearly 60% of the country's land area. Net forest loss totaled less than 1% during the study period.

Most of the changes resulted from land-use transitions linked to human activity, primarily involving conversions between forests and pasturelands. A smaller share involved agricultural croplands.

From an economic perspective, the estimated value of the carbon stored in Costa Rica's forests averaged more than $10 billion during the 2013 to 2023 period, equivalent to about 17% of the country's Gross Domestic Product.

The estimate includes above-ground biomass, dead wood and forest litter, but excludes soil organic carbon. According to the report, the findings underscore the strategic importance of Costa Rica's forests as a vital component of the nation's natural capital.

The study also updated Costa Rica's Water Accounts with 2022 data and its Material Flow Accounts with information through 2025.

The Water Accounts showed mixed trends in water withdrawals across economic sectors in 2022 compared with the previous year.

Water use increased 25.6% in manufacturing and construction, 8.2% in hydroelectric power generation and 1.4% in agriculture. In contrast, withdrawals declined 16.8% in the services sector and 19.1% in the public water supply sector.

Surface water remained the country's primary source of supply, accounting for 71% of total water withdrawals.

Physical water losses among consumers declined from 66.8% in 2021 to 58% in 2022, while the average price of water rose 3% to 678 colones per cubic meter.

The Material Flow Accounts showed that Costa Rica's domestic resource extraction remains concentrated in biomass and nonmetallic minerals.


By 2025, total domestic extraction exceeded 43 million metric tons, including 20 million metric tons of biomass and 23 million metric tons of nonmetallic minerals, which accounted for 55% of all materials extracted.


Material imports (including metallic and nonmetallic minerals, energy resources such as coal and petroleum, biomass including timber, fishery products, crops and other materials) continued to increase, rising from 9.2 million metric tons in 2014 to 12.1 million metric tons in 2025.


That represents cumulative growth of 30.3% and an average annual increase of 2.4%, reflecting Costa Rica's growing dependence on imported resources, particularly fossil fuels and biomass.

The country's physical trade balance also expanded significantly, tripling since 2014 to reach 3.53 million metric tons in 2025. According to the report, the figures confirm Costa Rica's position as a net importer of materials.


Established in 1950, the Central Bank of Costa Rica is the country's monetary authority and central bank. It also compiles and publishes Costa Rica's official economic indicators.

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