Costa Rica vs Iceland: Share of children who were born outside of marriage
Costa Rica
72.5%
in 2020
Iceland
69.4%
in 2019
Costa Rica rank
2nd
Iceland rank
4th
Share of children who were born outside of marriage over time
- Costa Rica
- Iceland
How they compare
Costa Rica currently reports 72.5% against 69.4% in Iceland, a difference of 3.1%.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 34 shared years of data; in 1983 it was Iceland ahead.
Costa Rica ranks 2nd and Iceland ranks 4th of 42 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, Costa Rica averaged higher in 1 and Iceland in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | Iceland | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 38.2% | 49.4% | 11.3% | Iceland |
| 1990s | 44.8% | 60.0% | 15.2% | Iceland |
| 2000s | 59.3% | 64.1% | 4.8% | Iceland |
| 2010s | 70.1% | 68.1% | 1.9% | Costa Rica |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of children who were born outside of marriage, Costa Rica or Iceland?
- Costa Rica, at 72.5% against 69.4% in Iceland as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of children who were born outside of marriage between Costa Rica and Iceland?
- 3.1%, with Costa Rica ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and Iceland?
- 34 years are reported by both, from 1983 to 2019.
- How do Costa Rica and Iceland rank globally for share of children who were born outside of marriage?
- Costa Rica ranks 2nd and Iceland ranks 4th of 42 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- OECD (2025); OECD (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of children who were born outside of marriage. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Share of all children born to mothers who were not married at the time of birth.