Child mortality rate in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Child mortality rate was 1.04 deaths per 100 live births in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
1.04 deaths per 100 live births
Change on year
up 3.0%
World rank
120th
of 200 countries
All-time high
13.22 deaths per 100 live births
in 1949
All-time low
0.89 deaths per 100 live births
in 2016
Years of data
76
1949–2024
Child mortality rate in Costa Rica, 1949–2024
Source: Gapminder (2015); UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths per 100 live births.
Analysis
Costa Rica recorded 1.04 deaths per 100 live births for child mortality rate in 2024.
That represents a change of up 3.0% on the previous year and up 13.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, child mortality rate in Costa Rica peaked at 13.22 deaths per 100 live births in 1949 and was at its lowest, 0.89 deaths per 100 live births, in 2016.
Costa Rica ranks 120th of 200 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Child mortality rate in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | deaths per 100 live births | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1949 | 13.22 deaths per 100 live births | — |
| 1950 | 13.13 deaths per 100 live births | -0.7% |
| 1951 | 13 deaths per 100 live births | -1.0% |
| 1952 | 12.87 deaths per 100 live births | -1.0% |
| 1953 | 12.69 deaths per 100 live births | -1.4% |
| 1954 | 12.46 deaths per 100 live births | -1.8% |
| 1955 | 12.14 deaths per 100 live births | -2.6% |
| 1956 | 11.7 deaths per 100 live births | -3.6% |
| 1957 | 11.18 deaths per 100 live births | -4.4% |
| 1958 | 10.61 deaths per 100 live births | -5.1% |
| 1959 | 10.05 deaths per 100 live births | -5.3% |
| 1960 | 9.61 deaths per 100 live births | -4.4% |
| 1961 | 9.37 deaths per 100 live births | -2.5% |
| 1962 | 9.28 deaths per 100 live births | -1.0% |
| 1963 | 9.24 deaths per 100 live births | -0.4% |
| 1964 | 9.16 deaths per 100 live births | -0.9% |
| 1965 | 9.02 deaths per 100 live births | -1.5% |
| 1966 | 8.79 deaths per 100 live births | -2.5% |
| 1967 | 8.48 deaths per 100 live births | -3.5% |
| 1968 | 8.17 deaths per 100 live births | -3.7% |
| 1969 | 7.85 deaths per 100 live births | -3.9% |
| 1970 | 7.48 deaths per 100 live births | -4.7% |
| 1971 | 7.01 deaths per 100 live births | -6.3% |
| 1972 | 6.45 deaths per 100 live births | -8.0% |
| 1973 | 5.83 deaths per 100 live births | -9.6% |
| 1974 | 5.18 deaths per 100 live births | -11.1% |
| 1975 | 4.54 deaths per 100 live births | -12.4% |
| 1976 | 3.92 deaths per 100 live births | -13.7% |
| 1977 | 3.38 deaths per 100 live births | -13.8% |
| 1978 | 2.96 deaths per 100 live births | -12.4% |
| 1979 | 2.65 deaths per 100 live births | -10.5% |
| 1980 | 2.44 deaths per 100 live births | -7.9% |
| 1981 | 2.34 deaths per 100 live births | -4.1% |
| 1982 | 2.29 deaths per 100 live births | -2.1% |
| 1983 | 2.27 deaths per 100 live births | -0.9% |
| 1984 | 2.25 deaths per 100 live births | -0.9% |
| 1985 | 2.2 deaths per 100 live births | -2.2% |
| 1986 | 2.12 deaths per 100 live births | -3.6% |
| 1987 | 2 deaths per 100 live births | -5.7% |
| 1988 | 1.89 deaths per 100 live births | -5.5% |
| 1989 | 1.78 deaths per 100 live births | -5.8% |
| 1990 | 1.69 deaths per 100 live births | -5.1% |
| 1991 | 1.62 deaths per 100 live births | -4.1% |
| 1992 | 1.57 deaths per 100 live births | -3.1% |
| 1993 | 1.53 deaths per 100 live births | -2.5% |
| 1994 | 1.51 deaths per 100 live births | -1.3% |
| 1995 | 1.49 deaths per 100 live births | -1.3% |
| 1996 | 1.47 deaths per 100 live births | -1.3% |
| 1997 | 1.45 deaths per 100 live births | -1.4% |
| 1998 | 1.41 deaths per 100 live births | -2.8% |
| 1999 | 1.36 deaths per 100 live births | -3.5% |
| 2000 | 1.31 deaths per 100 live births | -3.7% |
| 2001 | 1.26 deaths per 100 live births | -3.8% |
| 2002 | 1.22 deaths per 100 live births | -3.2% |
| 2003 | 1.18 deaths per 100 live births | -3.3% |
| 2004 | 1.15 deaths per 100 live births | -2.5% |
| 2005 | 1.13 deaths per 100 live births | -1.7% |
| 2006 | 1.12 deaths per 100 live births | -0.9% |
| 2007 | 1.11 deaths per 100 live births | -0.9% |
| 2008 | 1.09 deaths per 100 live births | -1.8% |
| 2009 | 1.07 deaths per 100 live births | -1.8% |
| 2010 | 1.05 deaths per 100 live births | -1.9% |
| 2011 | 1.02 deaths per 100 live births | -2.9% |
| 2012 | 0.98 deaths per 100 live births | -3.9% |
| 2013 | 0.95 deaths per 100 live births | -3.1% |
| 2014 | 0.92 deaths per 100 live births | -3.2% |
| 2015 | 0.9 deaths per 100 live births | -2.2% |
| 2016 | 0.89 deaths per 100 live births | -1.1% |
| 2017 | 0.89 deaths per 100 live births | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 0.9 deaths per 100 live births | +1.1% |
| 2019 | 0.91 deaths per 100 live births | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 0.93 deaths per 100 live births | +2.2% |
| 2021 | 0.96 deaths per 100 live births | +3.2% |
| 2022 | 0.99 deaths per 100 live births | +3.1% |
| 2023 | 1.01 deaths per 100 live births | +2.0% |
| 2024 | 1.04 deaths per 100 live births | +3.0% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 1.04 deaths per 100 live births is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.47 deaths per 100 live births, 2.2× the median. (65 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 1.04 deaths per 100 live births is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 1.31 deaths per 100 live births, 79% of the median. (35 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 13.22 deaths per 100 live births | 13.22 deaths per 100 live births | 13.22 deaths per 100 live births | 1 |
| 1950s | 11.98 deaths per 100 live births | 10.05 deaths per 100 live births | 13.13 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 1960s | 8.9 deaths per 100 live births | 7.85 deaths per 100 live births | 9.61 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 1970s | 4.94 deaths per 100 live births | 2.65 deaths per 100 live births | 7.48 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.16 deaths per 100 live births | 1.78 deaths per 100 live births | 2.44 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.51 deaths per 100 live births | 1.36 deaths per 100 live births | 1.69 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.16 deaths per 100 live births | 1.07 deaths per 100 live births | 1.31 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.941 deaths per 100 live births | 0.89 deaths per 100 live births | 1.05 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.986 deaths per 100 live births | 0.93 deaths per 100 live births | 1.04 deaths per 100 live births | 5 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
- 118 Nicaragua 1.12 deaths per 100 live births compare
- 119 Cape Verde 1.11 deaths per 100 live births compare
- 121 Oman 1.03 deaths per 100 live births compare
- 122 El Salvador 1 deaths per 100 live births compare
- 123 Brunei 0.99 deaths per 100 live births compare
More health data for Costa Rica
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.78 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.4617 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,632 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 35 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -3.42 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0248 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -3.37 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is child mortality rate in Costa Rica?
- Child mortality rate in Costa Rica was 1.04 deaths per 100 live births in 2024, according to Gapminder (2015); UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest child mortality rate recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 13.22 deaths per 100 live births in 1949.
- What is the lowest child mortality rate recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.89 deaths per 100 live births in 2016.
- How does Costa Rica rank for child mortality rate?
- Costa Rica ranks 120th out of 200 countries with data for 2024.
- Is child mortality rate rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from Gapminder (2015); UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Child mortality rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Long-run estimated share of newborns who die before reaching the age of five.