Volcano profile
5 active and potentially active volcanoes in Costa Rica — eruption history, elevation, VEI and population exposure.
Volcanoes
5
in database
Active
5
Erupted since 2000
4
Highest VEI
VEI 3
Highest peak
3,432m
Irazú
People within 30km
4.8M
Yes — 5 active
Costa Rica has 5 catalogued volcanoes, 5 currently classified active, with about 4.8 million people living within 30 km of one. The volcano our model rates most likely to erupt in the next year is Poás (~17.6%).
Statistical estimates from the QuakeGlobe eruption-forecast model, not predictions. Always follow official volcano-observatory advisories.
Mexico and Central America • Stratovolcano
Elevation
1,670m
Last Eruption
2010
Pop. 30km
100K
Pop. 100km
1.5M
📍 10.4630°, -84.7030°
Mexico and Central America • Stratovolcano
Elevation
2,708m
Last Eruption
2024
Pop. 30km
1.0M
Pop. 100km
4.0M
📍 10.2000°, -84.2330°
Mexico and Central America • Stratovolcano
Elevation
3,432m
Last Eruption
1994
Pop. 30km
2.0M
Pop. 100km
4.5M
📍 9.9790°, -83.8520°
Mexico and Central America • Stratovolcano
Elevation
3,340m
Last Eruption
2020
Pop. 30km
1.5M
Pop. 100km
4.0M
📍 10.0250°, -83.7670°
Mexico and Central America • Complex volcano
Elevation
1,916m
Last Eruption
2024
Pop. 30km
200K
Pop. 100km
1.0M
📍 10.8300°, -85.3240°
View all 194 volcanoes in our database
FAQ
Costa Rica has 5 catalogued volcanoes in the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program dataset, 5 currently classified as active, and 4 have erupted since 2000. About 4.8 million people live within 30 km of one.
Our eruption-forecast model rates Poás the most likely to erupt in the next 12 months in Costa Rica, at roughly 17.6% (about one eruption every 5 years on average). This is a statistical estimate, not a prediction — follow official volcano-observatory advisories.
By population exposure — the number of people within 30 km weighted by eruption probability — the most dangerous volcano in Costa Rica is Irazú, with about 2,000,000 people within 30 km and a modeled 9.8% one-year eruption probability.
The most recent eruption in our dataset for Costa Rica was at Poás in 2024.