Information Technology Landscape
in COSTA RICA
Internet Activity
By late 1997, Internet users reached 12,000 strong, up four years
ago from 128 when the service was first introduced in the country.1
In a recent study conducted by Deloitte and Touche, demand continues to
grow with an estimated 500 to 1,000 new users being added each month.
A study conducted in July 1996 by Mark Lottor of Network Wizards at
Menlo Park reveal the following statistics. In just 6 month, Costa
Rica saw a mid- 73% increase in Internet Domains. The table below
compares these 1996 numbers to the US, neighboring countries and others.12
| Domain |
January 1996 |
July 1996 |
Increase % |
| Costa Rica - dom |
1,495 |
2,582 |
73 |
| USA - dom |
233,912 |
432,727 |
85 |
| Brazil - dom |
20,113 |
46,854 |
133 |
| Belize - dom |
1 |
8 |
700 |
| Nicaragua - dom |
141 |
285 |
102 |
| Panama - dom |
148 |
207 |
40 |
| Uganda - dom |
58 |
60 |
3 |
* -dom indicates country top
level domain, exclusive from any .com, .net, .org, or .int global top level
domains that may also be located in the country.
Additional statistics have been gathered by the International Telecommunications
Union (1998) that reflect not just the number of domain names in certain
countries, but also estimates the actual number of users. (The 3'491
posted in the table below is an accumulative number for the entire 1996
year, whereas the 1,495 and 2,582 listed in the above table are simply
snapshots conducted at two points during the year.)
| Country |
Hosts Total 1996 |
Hosts per 10'000 inhabitants 1996 |
Users Total 1996 |
Users per 10'000 inhab 1996 |
| Costa Rica |
3'491 |
10.27 |
30'000 |
88.29 |
| United States |
10'112'888 |
379.39 |
21'000'000 |
787.82 |
| Brazil |
77'148 |
4.89 |
500'000 |
31.67 |
| Belize |
12 |
.54 |
1'582 |
71.26 |
| Nicaragua |
531 |
1.25 |
4'000 |
9.44 |
| Panama |
751 |
2.81 |
6'000 |
22.44 |
| Uganda |
17 |
.01 |
1'000 |
.49 |
| World |
16'252'758 |
28.14 |
50'089'342 |
91.89 |
* Source ITU
As the table depicts, Internet usage in Costa Rica is far below that
of the United States as presumed. However, in comparison to neighboring
countries such as Panama and Nicaragua, the country far exceeds usage for
the region. Furthermore, it is not far below the world average of
91.89 "Users per 10'000 inhabitants" for 1996. These numbers suggest
that Costa Rica has the facilities and acceptance of Internet usage and
as experienced all the world, will most likely continue to grow at a rapid
pace.
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Last updated December 18, 1998