Fertility and wanted fertility in Costa Rica

Costa Rica: Fertility and wanted fertility was 1.32 in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
1.32
Change on year
down 0.9%
World rank
187th
of 215 countries
All-time high
6.71
in 1960
All-time low
1.32
in 2024
Years of data
65
1960–2024

Fertility and wanted fertility in Costa Rica, 1960–2024

246196019922024

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for fertility and wanted fertility in Costa Rica is 1.32, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 65 years on record.

The figure is down 0.9% on the previous year and down 26.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, fertility and wanted fertility in Costa Rica peaked at 6.71 in 1960 and was at its lowest, 1.32, in 2024.

Costa Rica ranks 187th of 215 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.

Fertility and wanted fertility in Costa Rica, year by year

Annual values for Fertility and wanted fertility in Costa Rica, 1960 to 2024.
Year Value Change
1960 6.71 —
1961 6.65 -0.9%
1962 6.54 -1.6%
1963 6.39 -2.4%
1964 6.19 -3.1%
1965 5.96 -3.8%
1966 5.7 -4.4%
1967 5.42 -4.9%
1968 5.03 -7.2%
1969 4.83 -3.8%
1970 4.58 -5.2%
1971 4.36 -4.9%
1972 4.16 -4.7%
1973 3.99 -4.0%
1974 3.89 -2.5%
1975 3.8 -2.3%
1976 3.75 -1.5%
1977 3.7 -1.2%
1978 3.66 -1.1%
1979 3.65 -0.3%
1980 3.58 -1.9%
1981 3.56 -0.8%
1982 3.54 -0.4%
1983 3.52 -0.4%
1984 3.52 -0.2%
1985 3.51 -0.2%
1986 3.45 -1.6%
1987 3.38 -2.0%
1988 3.31 -2.1%
1989 3.24 -2.3%
1990 3.17 -2.2%
1991 3.08 -2.9%
1992 3 -2.4%
1993 2.93 -2.4%
1994 2.86 -2.4%
1995 2.78 -2.7%
1996 2.68 -3.5%
1997 2.59 -3.4%
1998 2.53 -2.4%
1999 2.48 -1.8%
2000 2.41 -2.7%
2001 2.31 -4.2%
2002 2.16 -6.5%
2003 2.08 -3.6%
2004 2.03 -2.7%
2005 2.04 +0.5%
2006 1.94 -5.0%
2007 1.95 +0.9%
2008 1.98 +1.3%
2009 1.95 -1.4%
2010 1.83 -6.5%
2011 1.88 +2.7%
2012 1.85 -1.4%
2013 1.78 -3.9%
2014 1.8 +1.2%
2015 1.8 -0.2%
2016 1.75 -2.8%
2017 1.71 -1.8%
2018 1.71 -0.5%
2019 1.6 -6.2%
2020 1.45 -9.5%
2021 1.35 -6.6%
2022 1.33 -1.3%
2023 1.33 -0.4%
2024 1.32 -0.9%

Costa Rica compared with similar countries

  • Costa Rica's 1.32 is below the median for high income countries, which is 1.45, 91% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
  • Costa Rica's 1.32 is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 1.62, 81% of the median. (42 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 5.94 4.83 6.71 10
1970s 3.96 3.65 4.58 10
1980s 3.46 3.24 3.58 10
1990s 2.81 2.48 3.17 10
2000s 2.09 1.94 2.41 10
2010s 1.77 1.6 1.88 10
2020s 1.36 1.32 1.45 5

Countries ranked near Costa Rica

  1. 185 Jamaica 1.35 compare
  2. 186 Albania 1.34 compare
  3. 188 Austria 1.31 compare
  4. 189 Switzerland 1.29 compare
  5. 190 Canada 1.25 compare
  6. 190 Finland 1.25 compare
  7. 190 Luxembourg 1.25 compare

See the full ranking of 215 places →

More population data for Costa Rica

All data for Costa Rica →

Frequently asked questions

What is fertility and wanted fertility in Costa Rica?
Fertility and wanted fertility in Costa Rica was 1.32 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest fertility and wanted fertility recorded in Costa Rica?
The highest recorded value was 6.71 in 1960.
What is the lowest fertility and wanted fertility recorded in Costa Rica?
The lowest recorded value was 1.32 in 2024.
How does Costa Rica rank for fertility and wanted fertility?
Costa Rica ranks 187th out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
Is fertility and wanted fertility rising or falling in Costa Rica?
Over the last ten years it is down 26.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Fertility and wanted fertility. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Fertility and wanted fertility in Costa Rica. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 11 November 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/fertility-and-wanted-fertility/costa-rica/

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About this data

Indicator
Fertility and wanted fertility
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
215 places, 13,943 data points, 1960–2024
Last refreshed