How Much Coffee Does Costa Rica Produce?

Costa Rica produces about 1.18 million 60-kilogram bags of coffee per year, which represents less than 1% of the world’s total coffee supply.

You’ve likely tasted a Costa Rican coffee at some point — the bright acidity and clean finish stand out, even in a blend. The country punches far above its weight in the specialty coffee world, so you’d be forgiven for assuming it produces a much larger share of the global harvest. The reality is more surprising.

Despite producing less than one percent of the world’s coffee, Costa Rica exports about 95% of what it grows, generating over $400 million annually. The numbers tell an interesting story about quality over quantity, declining production, and a massive shift in who’s actually growing the coffee.

Costa Rica’s Coffee Production Numbers for 2023/24

The most recent USDA data puts Costa Rica’s 2023/24 harvest at 1.18 million 60-kilogram bags. That’s a notable 16% drop from the initial projection of 1.44 million bags, which the USDA had forecasted earlier in the season.

Weather patterns, aging coffee trees, and a shrinking pool of farmers all played a role in that gap. The country’s production has been trending downward for several years, driven partly by urbanization and partly by younger generations leaving farm work for other industries.

Even at the higher end of the projection range, Costa Rica still accounts for a tiny slice of global output. Brazil and Vietnam together produce roughly half the world’s coffee, while Costa Rica sits among smaller producers like Guatemala and Ethiopia.

Where the Farms Are Located

The country’s coffee grows across 93,697 hectares spread through eight major regions. Tarrazu is the most famous, known for producing dense high-altitude beans that fetch premium prices. Other regions like the Central Valley, West Valley, and Brunca also contribute significant volume, giving Costa Rican coffee considerable regional diversity for such a small country.

Why Production Has Dropped Over Time

You might expect a country famous for coffee to be ramping up production, but the opposite is happening. The number of coffee producers in Costa Rica has dropped to roughly 25,000 — about half what it was a decade ago.

Several factors are behind this shift:

• Small farms dominate the landscape: About 90% of coffee farmers are smallholders, and in the 2022/23 year, 85% of growers produced fewer than 100 bags on farms under 10 hectares. That makes it hard to absorb bad seasons or invest in replanting.
• Urbanization pulls people away: Cities have expanded into prime coffee-growing valleys, and higher wages in tourism and tech draw younger workers away from harvest work.
• Aging farmers and rising costs: Many growers are over 50, and their children often see more opportunity elsewhere. Fertilizer and labor costs have climbed, squeezing margins on farms that were already small.
• Disease and tree age: Coffee leaf rust (roya) and aging trees reduce per-plant yields, making it harder to maintain production without significant reinvestment.
• Government bans on robusta: Costa Rica legally only grows arabica, which is more vulnerable to disease and requires higher altitudes. That commits the country to quality over quantity, but it also caps total volume.

These pressures explain why actual harvests have fallen short of projections in recent years, and why the 1.44 million-bag initial projection felt optimistic even at the time.

The Value of Costa Rican Coffee Despite Lower Volume

If you’re looking at raw numbers, 1.18 million bags looks modest. But the dollar value tells a different story. Costa Rica exported $422 million worth of coffee in 2024, making it the world’s 23rd largest coffee exporter out of 197 countries tracked.

That’s up from $305.9 million in 2015, even as total production declined. The reason is simple: quality commands a premium. Specialty buyers, including roasters in the U.S., Europe, and Japan, pay above commodity prices for beans from specific estates and cooperatives. The USDA Initial Projection 1.44 Million Bags for 2023/24 shows how closely analysts track these figures, because pricing swings can dramatically change the economic picture even when the harvest is smaller.

The industry itself is valued at roughly $1.6 billion annually when you factor in domestic sales, processing, and tourism. Many farms now offer tours and lodging, creating revenue streams that aren’t tied to the export market. It’s a survival strategy that’s working well for the country’s top growers.

These numbers show a micro-industry that earns disproportionately high revenue for its size. That’s not typical — most small producers struggle to match Costa Rica’s export value per bag.

Who Grows Coffee in Costa Rica Today

The people behind these numbers have changed significantly. About 27,393 family groups now manage coffee production, with the average farm size well under 10 hectares. That’s a huge departure from the large haciendas that defined Costa Rican coffee in the 1800s.

The demographic shift raises practical questions: who will grow the coffee in another decade? How do you maintain quality when the pool of experienced farmers is shrinking?

1. Smallholders carry the industry: Roughly 90% of farmers operate on a small scale, often with fewer than 5 hectares. They rely on cooperative mills for processing and export, which helps them access specialty buyers they couldn’t reach alone.
2. Quality premiums drive profitability: Costa Rica’s law requiring arabica-only production means farmers can’t fall back on high-yield robusta. Instead, they focus on altitude, processing methods, and traceability to command prices well above the C-market.
3. Sustainability is now a selling point: Costa Rica recently exported its first batch of deforestation-free coffee, backed by UNDP certification. For buyers in Europe and North America, that traceability is becoming a requirement, not a preference.
4. Succession remains uncertain: With the number of producers cut in half over ten years, the question is less about current output and more about who replaces the current generation of growers. Some farms are consolidating into larger operations, while others simply disappear.

The 25,000 active producers figure from World Coffee Research and the 50,000 number from some industry sources may reflect different counting methods — one looks at registered producers, the other at everyone involved in the harvest. Either way, the trend is downward.

Costa Rica’s Place Among the World’s Coffee Producers

It’s easier to grasp the country’s scale when you set it next to the giants. Topping the USDA’s list are Brazil, Vietnam, and Colombia — each producing tens of millions of bags per year. Costa Rica doesn’t appear on the USDA top 10 producers list, which starts at roughly 3 million bags for the lowest-ranked entry.

That doesn’t mean Costa Rican coffee is marginal. In the specialty world, it’s disproportionately represented on roaster menus and in competition lineups. The country’s single-origin lot structure, strict processing standards, and focus on microlots make it a favorite among third-wave coffee buyers.

The comparison puts Costa Rica in perspective. It’s a small producer in global terms but a powerhouse in reputation and revenue per bag.

The Bottom Line

Costa Rica produces about 1.18 million 60-kilogram bags of coffee per year — less than 1% of the world’s supply — but earns over $400 million in exports by focusing on arabica quality and traceability. Production has fallen 16% below initial projections for 2023/24, driven by a shrinking farmer base, aging trees, and urbanization. The country’s coffee industry remains valued at roughly $1.6 billion when domestic sales, processing, and coffee tourism are included.

If you’re sourcing coffee for a roastery or evaluating supply chains, tracking the USDA’s annual reports and the shifting demographics of Costa Rica’s 25,000 producers gives you a clearer picture than any single harvest number could.