Costa Rica vs United States of America: Life expectancy
Costa Rica
81.1 Years
in 2025
United States of America
79 Years
in 2024
Costa Rica rank
24th
United States of America rank
26th
Life expectancy over time
- Costa Rica
- United States of America
How they compare
Costa Rica currently reports 81.1 Years against 79 Years in United States of America, a difference of 2.1 Years.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 65 shared years of data; in 1960 it was United States of America ahead.
Costa Rica ranks 24th and United States of America ranks 26th of 41 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, Costa Rica averaged higher in 4 and United States of America in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | United States of America | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 62.97 Years | 70.17 Years | 7.2 Years | United States of America |
| 1970s | 68.57 Years | 72.27 Years | 3.7 Years | United States of America |
| 1980s | 74.06 Years | 74.59 Years | 0.53 Years | United States of America |
| 1990s | 76.48 Years | 75.97 Years | 0.51 Years | Costa Rica |
| 2000s | 78.69 Years | 77.58 Years | 1.11 Years | Costa Rica |
| 2010s | 79.78 Years | 78.74 Years | 1.04 Years | Costa Rica |
| 2020s | 80.84 Years | 77.66 Years | 3.18 Years | Costa Rica |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher life expectancy, Costa Rica or United States of America?
- Costa Rica, at 81.1 Years against 79 Years in United States of America as of 2025.
- What is the difference in life expectancy between Costa Rica and United States of America?
- 2.1 Years, with Costa Rica ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and United States of America?
- 65 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2024.
- How do Costa Rica and United States of America rank globally for life expectancy?
- Costa Rica ranks 24th and United States of America ranks 26th 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.
Individual pages
About this data
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.