Costa Rica vs United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Life expectancy

Costa Rica
81.1 Years
in 2025
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
81.3 Years
in 2024
Costa Rica rank
24th
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank
22nd

Life expectancy over time

  • Costa Rica
  • United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
020406080196019922025

How they compare

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland currently reports 81.3 Years against 81.1 Years in Costa Rica, a difference of 0.2 Years.

The two have swapped places 8 times across 49 shared years of data; in 1960 it was United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ahead.

Costa Rica ranks 24th and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 22nd of 41 countries.

Across the 7 decades both report, Costa Rica averaged higher in 1 and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in 6.

Head to head by decade

Decade Costa Rica United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Difference Ahead
1960s 60.7 Years 70.75 Years 10.05 Years United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
1970s 66.1 Years 71.9 Years 5.8 Years United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
1980s 74.06 Years 74.54 Years 0.48 Years United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
1990s 76.48 Years 76.56 Years 0.08 Years United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
2000s 78.69 Years 78.86 Years 0.17 Years United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
2010s 79.78 Years 80.91 Years 1.13 Years United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
2020s 80.84 Years 80.8 Years 0.04 Years Costa Rica

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher life expectancy, Costa Rica or United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, at 81.3 Years against 81.1 Years in Costa Rica as of 2024.
What is the difference in life expectancy between Costa Rica and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
0.2 Years, with United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
49 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2024.
How do Costa Rica and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank globally for life expectancy?
Costa Rica ranks 24th and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 22nd of 41 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as Life expectancy. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Costa Rica vs United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Life expectancy. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 26 August 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/compare/life-expectancy-2/costa-rica/united-kingdom/

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About this data

Indicator
Life expectancy
Unit
Years
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
51 places, 3,041 data points, 1960–2025
Last refreshed

This dataset presents data on life expectancy at birth, and at ages 40, 60, 65 and 80 years old. Please refer to the Sources and Methods for detailed country-specific information.