Costa Rica: Life expectancy at birth, total (years)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Costa Rica's life expectancy at birth, total (years) rose 0.2 on 2023 (from 80.8 to 81).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +0.15 and a typical year strayed about 0.51 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 1.48 in 2023 and the biggest yearly fall was 1.67 in 2021. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains less than 1% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2024, Costa Rica had the 47th highest value of the 217 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Costa Rica in the 2024 ranking

• Maldives — 44th of 217: 81.29
• Channel Islands — 45th of 217: 81.2
• Isle of Man — 46th of 217: 81.09
• Germany — 48th of 217: 80.79
• Virgin Islands (US) — 49th of 217: 80.77
• Cayman Islands — 50th of 217: 80.54

What this measures

Life expectancy at birth indicates the number of years a newborn infant would live if prevailing patterns of mortality at the time of its birth were to stay the same throughout its life.

Limitations: Annual data series from United Nations Population Division's World Population Prospects are interpolated data from 5-year period data. Therefore they may not reflect real events as much as observed data.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 65 values

Life expectancy at birth, total (years) in nearby economies

• Antigua and Barbuda — 77.77 (2024)
• Argentina — 77.54 (2024)
• Aruba — 76.5 (2024)
• Bahamas, The — 74.71 (2024)
• Barbados — 76.33 (2024)
• Belize — 73.74 (2024)
• Bolivia — 68.74 (2024)
• Brazil — 76.02 (2024)
• British Virgin Islands — 77.43 (2024)
• Cayman Islands — 80.54 (2024)
• Chile

More health data for Costa Rica

• Population ages 00-04, female (% of female population) — 4.9% (2025)
• Population ages 00-04, male (% of male population) — 5.24% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female — 461,672 (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female (% of female population) — 17.71% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male — 481,760 (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male (% of male population) — 18.92% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, total — 943,432 (2025)
• Population ages 0-14 (% of total population) — 18.31% (2025)
• Population ages 05-09, female (% of female population) — 6.18% (2025)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Costa Rica's life expectancy at birth, total (years)?

81 in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1960?

It is up 27.63% from 63.46 in 1960 (0.38% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 81 in 2024 and the lowest 63.46 in 1960.

How does Costa Rica rank?

47th highest of 217 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in life expectancy at birth, total (years) unusual for Costa Rica?

In 2024, Costa Rica's life expectancy at birth, total (years) rose 0.2 on 2023 (from 80.8 to 81). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +0.15 and a typical year strayed about 0.51 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SP.DYN.LE00.IN, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), uri: UN Population Division; Statistical databases and publications from national statistical offices, National Statistical Offices (NSOs), note: Derived from male and female life expectancy at birth from sources such as statistical databases and publ… Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.