Thinness among children and adolescents, BMI-for-age < -2 standard in Costa Rica

Costa Rica: Thinness among children and adolescents, BMI-for-age < -2 standard was 2.1% in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
2.1%
Change on year
up 2.2%
World rank
152nd
of 198 countries
All-time high
3.5%
in 1980
All-time low
1.8%
in 2012
Years of data
45
1980–2024

Thinness among children and adolescents, BMI-for-age < -2 standard in Costa Rica, 1980–2024

01231980200220241980: 3.51981: 3.41982: 3.31983: 3.21984: 3.11985: 31986: 31987: 2.91988: 2.81989: 2.71990: 2.71991: 2.61992: 2.51993: 2.51994: 2.41995: 2.41996: 2.31997: 2.31998: 2.21999: 2.22000: 2.12001: 2.12002: 22003: 22004: 1.92005: 1.92006: 1.92007: 1.92008: 1.82009: 1.82010: 1.82011: 1.82012: 1.82013: 1.82014: 1.82015: 1.82016: 1.92017: 1.92018: 1.92019: 1.92020: 22021: 22022: 22023: 2.12024: 2.1

Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.

Analysis

In 2024, thinness among children and adolescents, bmi-for-age < -2 standard in Costa Rica stood at 2.1%.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.2% on the previous year and up 16.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, thinness among children and adolescents, bmi-for-age < -2 standard in Costa Rica peaked at 3.5% in 1980 and was at its lowest, 1.8%, in 2012.

That places Costa Rica 152nd out of 198 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 45 years of available data.

Thinness among children and adolescents, BMI-for-age < -2 standard in Costa Rica, year by year

Annual values for Thinness among children and adolescents, BMI-for-age < -2 standard deviations below the median (%) in Costa Rica, 1980 to 2024.
Year Value Change
1980 3.5%
1981 3.4% -2.9%
1982 3.3% -2.8%
1983 3.2% -2.7%
1984 3.1% -2.7%
1985 3.0% -2.6%
1986 3.0% -2.6%
1987 2.9% -2.5%
1988 2.8% -2.5%
1989 2.7% -2.4%
1990 2.7% -2.4%
1991 2.6% -2.4%
1992 2.5% -2.4%
1993 2.5% -2.3%
1994 2.4% -2.3%
1995 2.4% -2.3%
1996 2.3% -2.3%
1997 2.3% -2.3%
1998 2.2% -2.3%
1999 2.2% -2.3%
2000 2.1% -2.2%
2001 2.1% -2.2%
2002 2.0% -2.1%
2003 2.0% -2.0%
2004 1.9% -1.8%
2005 1.9% -1.6%
2006 1.9% -1.5%
2007 1.9% -1.3%
2008 1.8% -1.0%
2009 1.8% -0.8%
2010 1.8% -0.6%
2011 1.8% -0.3%
2012 1.8% -0.1%
2013 1.8% +0.2%
2014 1.8% +0.4%
2015 1.8% +0.7%
2016 1.9% +0.9%
2017 1.9% +1.1%
2018 1.9% +1.3%
2019 1.9% +1.5%
2020 2.0% +1.7%
2021 2.0% +1.8%
2022 2.0% +2.0%
2023 2.1% +2.1%
2024 2.1% +2.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 3.1% 2.7% 3.5% 10
1990s 2.4% 2.2% 2.7% 10
2000s 1.9% 1.8% 2.1% 10
2010s 1.8% 1.8% 1.9% 10
2020s 2.0% 2.0% 2.1% 5

Countries ranked near Costa Rica

  1. 149 Nicaragua 2.1% compare
  2. 150 Solomon Islands 2.1% compare
  3. 151 Denmark 2.1% compare
  4. 153 Panama 2.1% compare
  5. 154 Guatemala 2.0% compare
  6. 155 Iceland 2.0% compare

See the full ranking of 211 places →

More health data for Costa Rica

All data for Costa Rica →

Frequently asked questions

What is thinness among children and adolescents, bmi-for-age < -2 standard in Costa Rica?
Thinness among children and adolescents, bmi-for-age < -2 standard in Costa Rica was 2.1% in 2024, according to World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
What is the highest thinness among children and adolescents, bmi-for-age < -2 standard recorded in Costa Rica?
The highest recorded value was 3.5% in 1980.
What is the lowest thinness among children and adolescents, bmi-for-age < -2 standard recorded in Costa Rica?
The lowest recorded value was 1.8% in 2012.
How does Costa Rica rank for thinness among children and adolescents, bmi-for-age < -2 standard?
Costa Rica ranks 152nd out of 198 countries with data for 2024.
Is thinness among children and adolescents, bmi-for-age < -2 standard rising or falling in Costa Rica?
Over the last ten years it is up 16.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
The figures come from World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory, published as part of Thinness among children and adolescents, BMI-for-age < -2 standard deviations below the median (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Thinness among children and adolescents, BMI-for-age < -2 standard in Costa Rica. Statizoid, drawing on World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory. Retrieved 06 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/thinness-among-children-and-adolescents-bmi-for-age-2-standard-deviations-below-the/costa-rica/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://health.statizoid.com/stat/thinness-among-children-and-adolescents-bmi-for-age-2-standard-deviations-below-the/costa-rica/">Thinness among children and adolescents, BMI-for-age < -2 standard in Costa Rica</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Thinness among children and adolescents, BMI-for-age < -2 standard deviations below the median (%)
Source
World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO)
Coverage
211 places, 9,495 data points, 1980–2024
Last refreshed