Overweight prevalence (weight-for-height >+2 standard deviations from) in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Overweight prevalence (weight-for-height >+2 standard deviations from) was 7.87 in 2024. ▬ Flat
Latest (2024)
7.87
Change on year
up 1.3%
World rank
14th
of 27 countries
All-time high
7.88
in 2000
All-time low
7.53
in 2016
Years of data
25
2000–2024
Overweight prevalence (weight-for-height >+2 standard deviations from) in Costa Rica, 2000–2024
Source: UNICEF.
Analysis
Costa Rica recorded 7.87 for overweight prevalence (weight-for-height >+2 standard deviations from) in 2024.
That represents a change of up 1.3% on the previous year and up 4.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, overweight prevalence (weight-for-height >+2 standard deviations from) in Costa Rica peaked at 7.88 in 2000 and was at its lowest, 7.53, in 2016.
That places Costa Rica 14th out of 27 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
Overweight prevalence (weight-for-height >+2 standard deviations from) in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 7.88 | — |
| 2001 | 7.85 | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 7.83 | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 7.82 | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 7.81 | -0.0% |
| 2005 | 7.81 | -0.0% |
| 2006 | 7.8 | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 7.78 | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 7.74 | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 7.7 | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 7.67 | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 7.63 | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 7.6 | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 7.58 | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 7.56 | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 7.53 | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 7.53 | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 7.53 | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 7.54 | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 7.56 | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 7.59 | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 7.64 | +0.6% |
| 2022 | 7.69 | +0.8% |
| 2023 | 7.77 | +1.0% |
| 2024 | 7.87 | +1.3% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 7.87 is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 7.87, 1.0× the median. (27 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 7.87 is below the median for high income countries, which is 11.94, 66% of the median. (8 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 7.8 | 7.7 | 7.88 | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.57 | 7.53 | 7.67 | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.71 | 7.59 | 7.87 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
- 11 Peru 9.03 compare
- 12 Chile 8.74 compare
- 13 El Salvador 8.46 compare
- 15 Dominican Republic 7.51 compare
- 16 Mexico 7.44 compare
- 17 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 7.32 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 (weight-for-height >+2 standard deviations from) in Costa Rica?
- Overweight prevalence (weight-for-height >+2 standard deviations from) in Costa Rica was 7.87 in 2024, according to UNICEF.
- What is the highest overweight prevalence (weight-for-height >+2 standard deviations from) recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 7.88 in 2000.
- What is the lowest overweight prevalence (weight-for-height >+2 standard deviations from) recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.53 in 2016.
- How does Costa Rica rank for overweight prevalence (weight-for-height >+2 standard deviations from)?
- Costa Rica ranks 14th out of 27 countries with data for 2024.
- Is overweight prevalence (weight-for-height >+2 standard deviations from) rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from UNICEF, published as part of Overweight prevalence (weight-for-height >+2 standard deviations from the median of the WHO Child Growth Standards) among children under 5 years of age (JME modeled estimate) - SDG 2.2.2. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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