Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 was 2.25 in 2022. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 in Costa Rica, 1990–2022
Source: UNICEF.
Analysis
Costa Rica recorded 2.25 for prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 33 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.4% on the previous year and down 8.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 in Costa Rica peaked at 5.44 in 1990 and was at its lowest, 2.25, in 2022.
That places Costa Rica 132nd out of 193 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.
Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 5.44 | — |
| 1991 | 5.18 | -4.8% |
| 1992 | 4.93 | -4.8% |
| 1993 | 4.69 | -4.9% |
| 1994 | 4.47 | -4.7% |
| 1995 | 4.26 | -4.7% |
| 1996 | 4.07 | -4.5% |
| 1997 | 3.88 | -4.7% |
| 1998 | 3.72 | -4.1% |
| 1999 | 3.57 | -4.0% |
| 2000 | 3.43 | -3.9% |
| 2001 | 3.3 | -3.8% |
| 2002 | 3.18 | -3.6% |
| 2003 | 3.08 | -3.1% |
| 2004 | 2.98 | -3.2% |
| 2005 | 2.89 | -3.0% |
| 2006 | 2.81 | -2.8% |
| 2007 | 2.74 | -2.5% |
| 2008 | 2.67 | -2.6% |
| 2009 | 2.61 | -2.2% |
| 2010 | 2.55 | -2.3% |
| 2011 | 2.5 | -2.0% |
| 2012 | 2.45 | -2.0% |
| 2013 | 2.41 | -1.6% |
| 2014 | 2.38 | -1.2% |
| 2015 | 2.35 | -1.3% |
| 2016 | 2.32 | -1.3% |
| 2017 | 2.3 | -0.9% |
| 2018 | 2.29 | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 2.27 | -0.9% |
| 2020 | 2.26 | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 2.26 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 2.25 | -0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 4.42 | 3.57 | 5.44 | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.97 | 2.61 | 3.43 | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.38 | 2.27 | 2.55 | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.26 | 2.25 | 2.26 | 3 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
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 prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 in Costa Rica?
- Prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 in Costa Rica was 2.25 in 2022, according to UNICEF.
- What is the highest prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 5.44 in 1990.
- What is the lowest prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.25 in 2022.
- How does Costa Rica rank for prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5?
- Costa Rica ranks 132nd out of 193 countries with data for 2022.
- Is prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from UNICEF, published as part of Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 (Crude estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 33 observations, free to reuse under UNICEF Terms of Use (attribution required).