Birth rate in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Birth rate was 10.18 births per 1,000 people in 2023. ▼ Falling
Birth rate in Costa Rica, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in births per 1,000 people.
Analysis
Costa Rica recorded 10.18 births per 1,000 people for birth rate in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.4% on the previous year and down 31.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, birth rate in Costa Rica peaked at 46.01 births per 1,000 people in 1958 and was at its lowest, 10.18 births per 1,000 people, in 2023.
Costa Rica ranks 167th of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 45.67 births per 1,000 people | 44.89 births per 1,000 people | 46.01 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1960s | 40.16 births per 1,000 people | 33.77 births per 1,000 people | 45.47 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 30.53 births per 1,000 people | 29.79 births per 1,000 people | 32.59 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 29.75 births per 1,000 people | 27.46 births per 1,000 people | 30.52 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 23.36 births per 1,000 people | 20.74 births per 1,000 people | 26.65 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 17.62 births per 1,000 people | 16.43 births per 1,000 people | 20.24 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.52 births per 1,000 people | 12.66 births per 1,000 people | 15.76 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.6 births per 1,000 people | 10.18 births per 1,000 people | 11.37 births per 1,000 people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
- 164 Ireland 10.25 births per 1,000 people compare
- 165 Albania 10.24 births per 1,000 people compare
- 166 Kuwait 10.2 births per 1,000 people compare
- 168 United Kingdom 10.02 births per 1,000 people compare
- 169 Qatar 9.91 births per 1,000 people compare
- 170 Uruguay 9.87 births per 1,000 people compare
More population data for Costa Rica
- World population growth -1.0% (2100)
- Population density 73.96 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 123,827 people (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development -1.0% (2100)
- Total fertility rate vs. contraceptive prevalence 1.32 births per woman (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception 1.32 births per woman (2024)
- Refugees by country of asylum 31,632 people (2024)
- Total fertility rate vs. wanted fertility rate 1.32 births per woman (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. Share of people who are religious 1.33 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate accounting for survival until childbearing age 1.31 children per women (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is birth rate in Costa Rica?
- Birth rate in Costa Rica was 10.18 births per 1,000 people in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest birth rate recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 46.01 births per 1,000 people in 1958.
- What is the lowest birth rate recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.18 births per 1,000 people in 2023.
- How does Costa Rica rank for birth rate?
- Costa Rica ranks 167th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is birth rate rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 31.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Birth rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The number of live births in a year per 1,000 people in the population.