Costa Rica Administrative Divisions

Name: Costa Rica Administrative Divisions Dataset
Creator: GeoPostcodes
License: https://www.geopostcodes.com/pricing/

What is the hierarchy of administrative divisions in Costa Rica?

Costa Rica operates on a 3‑level system starting with 7 provinces, then cantons, and districts as the smallest administrative units.

Here’s a breakdown of the hierarchy:

1. Provinces: Costa Rica is divided into 7 provinces.

2. Cantons: Provinces are subdivided into cantons.

3. Districts: These are the smallest administrative units, often found within cantons.

List of Costa Rica's administrative divisions with their counts and names

These are the summarized administrative divisions. The full dataset is available in the Download Center.

iso	country	admin level 1	admin level 2	admin level 3	admin level 4
CR	Costa Rica	Alajuela (Province)	16 Cantons	116 Districts	This level doesn’t exist for this country.
CR	Costa Rica	Cartago (Province)	8 Cantons	51 Districts	This level doesn’t exist for this country.
CR	Costa Rica	Guanacaste (Province)	11 Cantons	59 Districts	This level doesn’t exist for this country.
CR	Costa Rica	Heredia (Province)	10 Cantons	47 Districts	This level doesn’t exist for this country.
CR	Costa Rica	Limon (Province)	6 Cantons	30 Districts	This level doesn’t exist for this country.
CR	Costa Rica	Puntarenas (Province)	11 Cantons	60 Districts	This level doesn’t exist for this country.
CR	Costa Rica	San Jose (Province)	20 Cantons	122 Districts	This level doesn’t exist for this country.

Why is building an Administrative Divisions Database complex?

The complexity arises from inconsistent global standards, frequent boundary changes, non-uniform naming conventions (e.g., “suburb” in Australia vs. “county” in the US), and variations in administrative levels across countries. Integrating and harmonizing data from multiple sources requires advanced normalization, versioning, and geospatial validation techniques.

How does GeoPostcodes solve the problem for you?

Our standardized database overcomes the complexity of different administrative division
systems worldwide. Our database follows a unified structure that you can integrate
seamlessly into your system or platform of choice without needing to become an expert in
each country’s unique administrative hierarchy.

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Our location dataset for Costa Rica

Explore our comprehensive collection of Costa Rica ZIP code and administrative data products, designed to meet all your mapping and location intelligence needs.

Costa Rica ZIP Codes

Costa Rica uses a “Código postal” system, which is a five-digit numeric format, like 99999, with no letters or separators. This means it uses only numbers, similar to US ZIP codes, which are also five digits and purely numeric. According to the GeoPostcodes world postal code database, Costa Rica has 487 postal codes covering 574 regions and 8,077 towns.

Costa Rica ZIP & Administrative boundaries

Costa Rica administrative landscape often follows inconsistent regional models and irregular public sources, making it difficult to maintain reliable boundaries. Our standardized postal and administrative boundary data resolves these gaps to ensure complete, coherent geographic coverage.

Costa Rica Address Format

Address conventions differ by country, leading to frequent validation errors and incomplete entries. Our dataset applies Costa Rica correct address format to ensure clean inputs, smoother validation, and reduced delivery mistakes.

Address validation - Costa Rica address validation

Comprehensive Costa Rica ZIP code, city, and address data to verify and correct existing addresses at input, post-entry, or in bulk.

Global Location Databases

Comprehensive location data products serving businesses, and
organizations worldwide with accurate, up-to-date geographic information.

Postal Code Database

Global dataset containing all administrative divisions, cities and ZIP codes.

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Key features

247 Countries
9,9M Coordinates
9,3M Postal Codes
400 Time zones
4M Cities and Towns
116K UNLOCODES

Specifications

Coverage: Global
Format: CSV, ASC, DAT, GML, GeoJSON, KML, Shapefile (SHP)

Boundary Data

A global dataset of polygons representing postal codes and administrative areas.

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Key features

247 Countries
Up to 6 levels
1,7M boundaries
High-precision
245K Admin areas
Visualization

Specifications

Coverage: Global
Format: GeoJSON, Geopackage, KML, Shapefile (SHP)

Population Database

Global population estimates at postal code and administrative level covering a span of 55 years: past, present, and future.

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Key features

247 Countries
243K Admin areas
55 year span
Yearly updates
645K ZIP codes

Specifications

Coverage: International
Format: CSV, ASC

Address Database

International dataset with all administrative areas, cities, streets, and relevant postal codes.

Explore address database

Key features

81 Countries
299 languages
26,5M streets
400 time zones
9.3M ZIP codes
4M cities

Specifications

Coverage: International
Format: CSV, ASC, DAT, GML, KML, Shapefile (SHP), GeoJSON

Global Postal Code Coverage

247 countries and territories with standardized formatting and reliable geographic information.

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Updated: June 10, 2026

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the administrative divisions of Costa Rica?

Costa Rica is divided into 7 provinces (Provincias), which form the top-level administrative units. These are subdivided into 81 cantons (Cantones). The smallest administrative level consists of 473 districts (Distritos). Major provinces include Alajuela, Cartago, and Guanacaste.

How many administrative levels does Costa Rica have?

Costa Rica has 3 administrative levels. Level 1: 7 provinces (Provincias). Level 2: 81 cantons (Cantones). Level 3: 473 districts (Distritos).

How is Costa Rica organized into provinces?

Costa Rica operates on a 3‑level system starting with 7 provinces, then cantons, and districts as the smallest administrative units.

What are administrative divisions called in Spanish?

Costa Rican administrative divisions have specific local names at each level. In Spanish, provinces are called Provincias; cantons are called Cantones; districts are called Distritos. These local-language terms appear in official documents, legal records, and government databases, so matching them correctly is important for data integration and compliance.

How often do administrative boundaries change in Costa Rica?

Administrative boundaries in Costa Rica change as governments reorganize regions, merge municipalities, or create new administrative units to reflect population shifts and political decisions. Changes most commonly affect the districts level, where Costa Rica currently has 473 units. Businesses that rely on Costa Rican administrative data should use a regularly updated reference dataset to avoid mismatches in geocoding, tax jurisdiction mapping, and compliance reporting.