Costa Rica vs UNDEV - South America: Life expectancy at birth
Costa Rica
81.19
in 2025
UNDEV - South America
76.56
in 2025
Costa Rica rank
2nd
UNDEV - South America rank
1st
Life expectancy at birth over time
- Costa Rica
- UNDEV - South America
How they compare
Costa Rica currently reports 81.19 against 76.56 in UNDEV - South America, a difference of 4.63.
That makes Costa Rica's figure about 1.1 times UNDEV - South America's.
Across all 76 years both countries report, Costa Rica has been ahead every year.
Costa Rica ranks 2nd and UNDEV - South America ranks 1st of 36 countries.
Costa Rica has averaged higher in every one of the 8 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | UNDEV - South America | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 60.07 | 52.45 | 7.62 | Costa Rica |
| 1960s | 64.79 | 56.99 | 7.8 | Costa Rica |
| 1970s | 69.77 | 61.01 | 8.76 | Costa Rica |
| 1980s | 74.55 | 65.16 | 9.39 | Costa Rica |
| 1990s | 76.48 | 68.83 | 7.64 | Costa Rica |
| 2000s | 78.52 | 72.3 | 6.22 | Costa Rica |
| 2010s | 80.01 | 75.02 | 4.99 | Costa Rica |
| 2020s | 80.01 | 75.21 | 4.8 | Costa Rica |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher life expectancy at birth, Costa Rica or UNDEV - South America?
- Costa Rica, at 81.19 against 76.56 in UNDEV - South America as of 2025.
- What is the difference in life expectancy at birth between Costa Rica and UNDEV - South America?
- 4.63, with Costa Rica ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and UNDEV - South America?
- 76 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2025.
- How do Costa Rica and UNDEV - South America rank globally for life expectancy at birth?
- Costa Rica ranks 2nd and UNDEV - South America ranks 1st of 36 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNICEF, published as Life expectancy at birth. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.