Costa Rica vs Panama: Life expectancy
Costa Rica
78.63 Years
in 2021
Panama
77.24 Years
in 2021
Costa Rica rank
32nd
Panama rank
35th
Life expectancy over time
- Costa Rica
- Panama
How they compare
Costa Rica currently reports 78.63 Years against 77.24 Years in Panama, a difference of 1.39 Years.
Across all 22 years both countries report, Costa Rica has been ahead every year.
Costa Rica ranks 32nd and Panama ranks 35th of 185 countries.
Costa Rica has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | Panama | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 79.27 Years | 76.55 Years | 2.72 Years | Costa Rica |
| 2010s | 80.27 Years | 77.97 Years | 2.3 Years | Costa Rica |
| 2020s | 79.31 Years | 77.29 Years | 2.02 Years | Costa Rica |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher life expectancy, Costa Rica or Panama?
- Costa Rica, at 78.63 Years against 77.24 Years in Panama as of 2021.
- What is the difference in life expectancy between Costa Rica and Panama?
- 1.39 Years, with Costa Rica ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and Panama?
- 22 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2021.
- How do Costa Rica and Panama rank globally for life expectancy?
- Costa Rica ranks 32nd and Panama ranks 35th of 185 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Life expectancy. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
The period life expectancy at birth, in a given year.