Water supply and sanitation in Costa Rica
| Data | |
|---|---|
| Access to an improved water source | 97% (2010) |
| Access to improved sanitation | 95% (2010) |
| Share of collected wastewater treated | 4% (2007) |
| Average urban water and sanitation tariff (US$/m3) | 5/month |
| Share of household metering | 96% |
| Annual investment in WSS | 5/capita (1991-1998 average) |
| Share of self-financing by utilities | 40% |
| Share of tax-financing | 30% |
| Share of external financing | 30% |
| Institutions | |
| Decentralization to municipalities | Very limited |
| National water and sanitation company | AyA |
| Water and sanitation regulator | ARESEP |
| Responsibility for policy setting | Ministry of Health and Ministry of Environment |
| Sector law | None |
| No. of urban service providers | 2 |
| No. of rural service providers | 1,827 |
Costa Rica has made significant progress in the past decade in expanding access to water supply and sanitation, but the sector faces key challenges in low sanitation connections, poor service quality, and low cost recovery.