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

Costa Rica
79.28 years
in 2020
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
80.43 years
in 2020
Costa Rica rank
31st
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank
29th

Life expectancy over time

  • Costa Rica
  • United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
020406080187019452020

How they compare

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland currently reports 80.43 years against 79.28 years in Costa Rica, a difference of 1.15 years.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 20 shared years of data; in 1913 it was United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ahead.

Costa Rica ranks 31st and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 29th of 162 countries.

Across the 11 decades both report, Costa Rica averaged higher in 1 and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in 10.

Head to head by decade

Decade Costa Rica United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Difference Ahead
1910s 33.82 years 53.35 years 19.53 years United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
1920s 40.19 years 58.02 years 17.83 years United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
1930s 45.57 years 61.91 years 16.34 years United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
1950s 58.75 years 69.38 years 10.63 years United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
1960s 63.23 years 71.27 years 8.04 years United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
1970s 68.5 years 72.27 years 3.77 years United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
1980s 73.48 years 74.06 years 0.5895 years United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
1990s 76.59 years 76.18 years 0.4149 years Costa Rica
2000s 78.05 years 78.48 years 0.4365 years United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
2010s 78.88 years 80.66 years 1.78 years United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
2020s 79.28 years 80.43 years 1.16 years United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

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 80.43 years against 79.28 years in Costa Rica as of 2020.
What is the difference in life expectancy between Costa Rica and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
1.15 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?
20 years are reported by both, from 1913 to 2020.
How do Costa Rica and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank globally for life expectancy?
Costa Rica ranks 31st and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 29th of 162 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Leandro Prados de la Escosura (2021) – 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.

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Costa Rica vs United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Life expectancy. Statizoid, drawing on Leandro Prados de la Escosura (2021) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 15 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/compare/life-expectancy-prados-de-la-escosura/costa-rica/united-kingdom/

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About this data

Indicator
Life expectancy
Unit
years
Source
Leandro Prados de la Escosura (2021) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
163 places, 3,421 data points, 1870–2020
Last refreshed

Average number of years a newborn would live if age-specific mortality rates in the current year were to stay the same throughout its life.