Overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) was 7.9% in 2024. ▬ Flat
Latest (2024)
7.9%
Change on year
up 1.3%
World rank
59th
of 162 countries
All-time high
7.9%
in 2000
All-time low
7.5%
in 2015
Years of data
25
2000–2024
Overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Costa Rica, 2000–2024
Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
Analysis
In 2024, overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Costa Rica stood at 7.9%. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.3% on the previous year and up 3.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Costa Rica peaked at 7.9% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 7.5%, in 2015.
That places Costa Rica 59th out of 162 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
Overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 7.9% | — |
| 2001 | 7.8% | -1.3% |
| 2002 | 7.8% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 7.8% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 7.8% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 7.8% | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 7.8% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 7.8% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 7.7% | -1.3% |
| 2009 | 7.7% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 7.7% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 7.6% | -1.3% |
| 2012 | 7.6% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 7.6% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 7.6% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 7.5% | -1.3% |
| 2016 | 7.5% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 7.5% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 7.5% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 7.6% | +1.3% |
| 2020 | 7.6% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 7.6% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 7.7% | +1.3% |
| 2023 | 7.8% | +1.3% |
| 2024 | 7.9% | +1.3% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 7.9% is below the median for high income countries, which is 8.6%, 92% of the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 7.9% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 8.2%, 96% of the median. (26 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 7.8% | 7.7% | 7.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.6% | 7.5% | 7.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.7% | 7.6% | 7.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
- 57 Nauru 8.2% compare
- 58 Bhutan 8.0% compare
- 60 United Kingdom 7.8% compare
- 61 Turkey 7.7% compare
- 62 Equatorial Guinea 7.5% compare
- 62 Dominican Republic 7.5% compare
- 62 Lesotho 7.5% 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 overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Costa Rica?
- Overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Costa Rica was 7.9% in 2024, according to World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
- What is the highest overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 7.9% in 2000.
- What is the lowest overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.5% in 2015.
- How does Costa Rica rank for overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%)?
- Costa Rica ranks 59th out of 162 countries with data for 2024.
- Is overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory, published as part of Overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (% weight-for-height >+2 SD), model-based estimates. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO).