Child mortality in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Child mortality was 1.04 in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
1.04
Change on year
up 3.0%
World rank
120th
of 200 countries
All-time high
13.22
in 1949
All-time low
0.89
in 2016
Years of data
76
1949–2024
Child mortality in Costa Rica, 1949–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Costa Rica recorded 1.04 for child mortality 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 in Costa Rica peaked at 13.22 in 1949 and was at its lowest, 0.89, 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 in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1949 | 13.22 | — |
| 1950 | 13.13 | -0.7% |
| 1951 | 13 | -1.0% |
| 1952 | 12.87 | -1.0% |
| 1953 | 12.69 | -1.4% |
| 1954 | 12.46 | -1.8% |
| 1955 | 12.14 | -2.6% |
| 1956 | 11.7 | -3.6% |
| 1957 | 11.18 | -4.4% |
| 1958 | 10.61 | -5.1% |
| 1959 | 10.05 | -5.3% |
| 1960 | 9.61 | -4.4% |
| 1961 | 9.37 | -2.5% |
| 1962 | 9.28 | -1.0% |
| 1963 | 9.24 | -0.4% |
| 1964 | 9.16 | -0.9% |
| 1965 | 9.02 | -1.5% |
| 1966 | 8.79 | -2.5% |
| 1967 | 8.48 | -3.5% |
| 1968 | 8.17 | -3.7% |
| 1969 | 7.85 | -3.9% |
| 1970 | 7.48 | -4.7% |
| 1971 | 7.01 | -6.3% |
| 1972 | 6.45 | -8.0% |
| 1973 | 5.83 | -9.6% |
| 1974 | 5.18 | -11.1% |
| 1975 | 4.54 | -12.4% |
| 1976 | 3.92 | -13.7% |
| 1977 | 3.38 | -13.8% |
| 1978 | 2.96 | -12.4% |
| 1979 | 2.65 | -10.5% |
| 1980 | 2.44 | -7.9% |
| 1981 | 2.34 | -4.1% |
| 1982 | 2.29 | -2.1% |
| 1983 | 2.27 | -0.9% |
| 1984 | 2.25 | -0.9% |
| 1985 | 2.2 | -2.2% |
| 1986 | 2.12 | -3.6% |
| 1987 | 2 | -5.7% |
| 1988 | 1.89 | -5.5% |
| 1989 | 1.78 | -5.8% |
| 1990 | 1.69 | -5.1% |
| 1991 | 1.62 | -4.1% |
| 1992 | 1.57 | -3.1% |
| 1993 | 1.53 | -2.5% |
| 1994 | 1.51 | -1.3% |
| 1995 | 1.49 | -1.3% |
| 1996 | 1.47 | -1.3% |
| 1997 | 1.45 | -1.4% |
| 1998 | 1.41 | -2.8% |
| 1999 | 1.36 | -3.5% |
| 2000 | 1.31 | -3.7% |
| 2001 | 1.26 | -3.8% |
| 2002 | 1.22 | -3.2% |
| 2003 | 1.18 | -3.3% |
| 2004 | 1.15 | -2.5% |
| 2005 | 1.13 | -1.7% |
| 2006 | 1.12 | -0.9% |
| 2007 | 1.11 | -0.9% |
| 2008 | 1.09 | -1.8% |
| 2009 | 1.07 | -1.8% |
| 2010 | 1.05 | -1.9% |
| 2011 | 1.02 | -2.9% |
| 2012 | 0.98 | -3.9% |
| 2013 | 0.95 | -3.1% |
| 2014 | 0.92 | -3.2% |
| 2015 | 0.9 | -2.2% |
| 2016 | 0.89 | -1.1% |
| 2017 | 0.89 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 0.9 | +1.1% |
| 2019 | 0.91 | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 0.93 | +2.2% |
| 2021 | 0.96 | +3.2% |
| 2022 | 0.99 | +3.1% |
| 2023 | 1.01 | +2.0% |
| 2024 | 1.04 | +3.0% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 1.04 is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.47, 2.2× the median. (65 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 1.04 is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 1.31, 79% of the median. (35 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 13.22 | 13.22 | 13.22 | 1 |
| 1950s | 11.98 | 10.05 | 13.13 | 10 |
| 1960s | 8.9 | 7.85 | 9.61 | 10 |
| 1970s | 4.94 | 2.65 | 7.48 | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.16 | 1.78 | 2.44 | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.51 | 1.36 | 1.69 | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.16 | 1.07 | 1.31 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.941 | 0.89 | 1.05 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.986 | 0.93 | 1.04 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
- 118 Nicaragua 1.12 compare
- 119 Cape Verde 1.11 compare
- 121 Oman 1.03 compare
- 122 El Salvador 1 compare
- 123 Brunei 0.99 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)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 35 (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)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0259 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is child mortality in Costa Rica?
- Child mortality in Costa Rica was 1.04 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest child mortality recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 13.22 in 1949.
- What is the lowest child mortality recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.89 in 2016.
- How does Costa Rica rank for child mortality?
- Costa Rica ranks 120th out of 200 countries with data for 2024.
- Is child mortality 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 Our World in Data, published as part of Child mortality. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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