Bulletin 2026-09UCDP data through GED 26.1, Candidate Events 26.0.9Changes in the data

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Events and deaths in organized violence, as UCDP records them

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Costa Rica: events and estimated deaths recorded by UCDP

Data through Population 5,152,950 (World Bank, 2025)

Coverage ends on . Figures that include Candidate Events are preliminary. Compare the two recorded 12-month windows.

UCDP recorded no eventsP of organized violence in Costa Rica in September 2026. UCDP recorded no eventsP in August 2026.

In the 12 months to 30 Sep 2026, UCDP recorded 38 eventsP in Costa Rica. The best estimate of deaths in the events of the 12 months is 37P. The low estimate is 10 and the high estimate is 41P. UCDP counts 1P of these deaths as deaths of civilians.

Among the 49 countries with a page, Costa Rica has the 37th highest count of events in the 12 months to 30 Sep 2026. In the UCDP region Americas, Costa Rica has the 6th highest count of events of the 11 countries with a page. In the 12 months to 30 Sep 2025, UCDP recorded 112 events in Costa Rica. The count for the 12 months to 30 Sep 2026 is 38P, which is down 66 percent. Over the same periods, the count for all countries with a page together went from 27,291 to 22,144P, which is down 19 percent. Events of non-state conflict are 100 percentP of the events in Costa Rica in the 12 months to 30 Sep 2026. For all countries with a page, the share is 24 percentP.

Table 1. Costa Rica: events and estimated deaths that UCDP records
FigureSeptember 2026PAugust 2026P12 months to 30 Sep 2026P
Events0038
Estimated deaths, best estimate0037
Low estimate of deaths0010
High estimate of deaths0041
Deaths of civilians001

P Preliminary. The figure is from UCDP Candidate Events, and UCDP revises these events.

Not all events in UCDP Candidate will make it into the final UCDP GED and new events will be added. The UCDP Candidate is a dataset containing events that have a high probability of being included in the final annual version of UCDP GED.

An incident where armed force was used by an organized actor against another organized actor, or against civilians, resulting in at least 1 direct death at a specific location and a specific date

UCDP's words. Source: UCDP Candidate Events Dataset Codebook, version 1.5 (Introduction) and UCDP GED Codebook, version 26.1 (section 2, the definition of an event), copied on .

This page rests on UCDP GED 26.1 and UCDP Candidate Events 26.0.9, with data through . The figures from January 2026 are from Candidate Events. Candidate Events are preliminary and UCDP revises them.

The pages give counts and their sources. They give no travel, security or safety advice. A count of events is not a measure of danger.

Since the last update

ConflictStats recorded this on .

  • UCDP recorded 38 events in Costa Rica in the 12 months to 30 Sep 2026 (preliminary). The count for the 12 months to 31 Aug 2026 was 49 (preliminary).

All changes recorded on 28 Oct 2026

24 months

Source: UCDP GED to December 2025, UCDP Candidate Events from January 2026.

01020Jan 2025Jan 2026GEDCandidate
Figure 1. Events in Costa Rica by month. A hollow column is a preliminary month. The line marks the change of dataset: GED to the left, Candidate Events from Jan 2026 to the right. The two datasets are not made in the same way, so a step at the line is not only a change in the events. The figures are in Table 7.
01020Jan 2025Jan 2026GEDCandidate
Figure 2. Estimated deaths in Costa Rica by month, best estimate. A hollow column is a preliminary month. The line marks the change of dataset: GED to the left, Candidate Events from Jan 2026 to the right. The two datasets are not made in the same way, so a step at the line is not only a change in the events. The figures are in Table 7.

UCDP recorded no event in this period, so the page has no map. (Events in Costa Rica, 3 Jul 2026 to 30 Sep 2026.)

Regions

A region is a first-level area in the UCDP data. A region needs 5 or more events in the last 12 months to have a page. Search engines list a region page at 30 or more.

Table 2. Regions of Costa Rica with a page, in name order: the 12 months to 30 Sep 2026
RegionEventsEstimated deathsLast event
Limón province171831 Dec 2025
San José province201830 Dec 2025

2 regions of Costa Rica have a page. 1 more region has events and no page.

Actors, as UCDP names them

Names as UCDP writes them. The glossary has the UCDP definition of an actor and of a dyad.

Table 3. Costa Rica: actors, as UCDP names them, in the events of the 12 months to 30 Sep 2026, in name order
Name, as UCDP writes itEventsEstimated deaths in these events
Actor not identified by UCDP1P1P
Group named for a person (name not shown)5754
Los Hondureños1718

An event has two sides, so one event can be in two rows. The deaths are the deaths in the events of a side. The table does not say which side caused a death. Names are as UCDP writes them, with two labels that the site writes. UCDP does not identify some actors: the site writes "Actor not identified by UCDP" for each of them. UCDP names some groups for a person: the site writes "Group named for a person (name not shown)" for each of them. A line with a label can hold more than one actor.

Table 4. Costa Rica: UCDP dyads in the events of the 12 months to 30 Sep 2026, in name order
Dyad, as UCDP writes itEventsEstimated deaths
Actor not identified by UCDP - Actor not identified by UCDP1P1P
Group named for a person (name not shown) - Group named for a person (name not shown)2018
Group named for a person (name not shown) - Los Hondureños1718

P Preliminary. The figure is from UCDP Candidate Events, and UCDP revises these events.

Type of violence

Table 5. Costa Rica: events by type of violence, the 12 months to 30 Sep 2026
Type of violenceEventsShare of events
State-based armed conflict00%
Non-state conflict38P100%
One-sided violence against civilians00%

P Preliminary. The figure is from UCDP Candidate Events, and UCDP revises these events.

State-based conflict

A state-based armed conflict is a contested incompatibility that concerns government and/or territory where the use of armed force between two parties, of which at least one is the government of a state, results in at least 25 battle-related deaths in one calendar year.

UCDP's words. Source: UCDP Definitions, copied on .

Non-state conflict

The use of armed force between two organised armed groups, neither of which is the government of a state, which results in at least 25 battle-related deaths in a year.

UCDP's words. Source: UCDP Definitions, copied on .

One-sided violence

The deliberate use of armed force by the government of a state or by a formally organised group against civilians which results in at least 25 deaths in a year.

UCDP's words. Source: UCDP Definitions, copied on .

Years

Years to 2025 are from the UCDP GED. The year 2026 is from Candidate Events and is not complete.

Table 6. Costa Rica: events and estimated deaths by year
YearEventsEstimated deathsDataset
2023813GED
20245057GED
2025140142GED
2026, to 30 Sep 20261P1PCandidate Events

P Preliminary. The figure is from UCDP Candidate Events, and UCDP revises these events.

Monthly reports

One report for each month with events. Search engines list a report of a month in the last 12 months that has 20 or more events.

Table 7. Monthly reports of Costa Rica, newest first: events and estimated deaths
MonthEventsEstimated deathsDataset
February 20261P1PCandidate Events
December 202586GED
November 20251211GED
October 20251719GED
September 20251211GED
August 202589GED
July 2025109GED
June 20251210GED
May 20251416GED
April 202599GED
March 20251516GED
February 20251111GED
January 20251215GED
December 202422GED
November 202466GED
October 202411GED
September 202488GED
August 202466GED

P Preliminary. The figure is from UCDP Candidate Events, and UCDP revises these events. Search engines list a report of a month in the last 12 months that has 20 or more events. The other reports stay online and ask search engines not to list them.

Other countries of the UCDP region Americas

Comparisons

Official channels

These links go to the sites of the organisations. The UCDP and World Bank links were checked on .

Cite and download

ConflictStats. Costa Rica: events and estimated deaths recorded by UCDP. https://conflictstats.com/country/costa-rica/. Source: Uppsala Conflict Data Program, UCDP GED 26.1 and UCDP Candidate Events 26.0.9. Data through .

The address of this page does not change. UCDP asks for a citation of its publications: Data sources and licences has it.

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The files are made from UCDP data, CC BY 4.0. The figures from January 2026 are from UCDP Candidate Events. Candidate Events are preliminary and UCDP revises them. The rate for the 12 months is 7.4 (preliminary) events for each million inhabitants.

Questions

How many events did UCDP record in Costa Rica in September 2026?

UCDP recorded no eventsP of organized violence in Costa Rica in September 2026. UCDP recorded no eventsP in August 2026.

How does UCDP count deaths?

UCDP gives a best estimate, a low estimate and a high estimate for each event. This page uses the best estimate. For Costa Rica in the 12 months to 30 Sep 2026, the best estimate is 37P. The low estimate is 10 and the high estimate is 41P.

Are the figures of the latest months final?

No. The figures from January 2026 are from UCDP Candidate Events. Candidate Events are preliminary and UCDP revises them. UCDP releases the reviewed dataset, the GED, one time each year.

Where are the events of Costa Rica as a CSV file?

The file has one row for each event from 1 Sep 2024 to 30 Sep 2026. It has 158 rows. Download the events (CSV)