Costa Rica vs Mexico: Share of children who were born outside of marriage
Costa Rica
72.5%
in 2020
Mexico
70.4%
in 2020
Costa Rica rank
2nd
Mexico rank
3rd
Share of children who were born outside of marriage over time
- Costa Rica
- Mexico
How they compare
Costa Rica currently reports 72.5% against 70.4% in Mexico, a difference of 2.1%.
Across all 36 years both countries report, Costa Rica has been ahead every year.
Costa Rica ranks 2nd and Mexico ranks 3rd of 42 countries.
Costa Rica has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | Mexico | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 38.4% | 30.6% | 7.8% | Costa Rica |
| 1990s | 44.8% | 37.6% | 7.2% | Costa Rica |
| 2000s | 59.3% | 49.4% | 10.0% | Costa Rica |
| 2010s | 69.8% | 65.2% | 4.6% | Costa Rica |
| 2020s | 72.5% | 70.4% | 2.1% | 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 Mexico?
- Costa Rica, at 72.5% against 70.4% in Mexico as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of children who were born outside of marriage between Costa Rica and Mexico?
- 2.1%, with Costa Rica ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and Mexico?
- 36 years are reported by both, from 1985 to 2020.
- How do Costa Rica and Mexico rank globally for share of children who were born outside of marriage?
- Costa Rica ranks 2nd and Mexico ranks 3rd 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.