Fertility rate, total in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Fertility rate, total was 1.33 births per woman in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
1.33 births per woman
Change on year
down 0.4%
World rank
187th
of 215 countries
All-time high
4.58 births per woman
in 1970
All-time low
1.33 births per woman
in 2023
Years of data
54
1970–2023
Fertility rate, total in Costa Rica, 1970–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in births per woman.
Analysis
In 2023, fertility rate, total in Costa Rica stood at 1.33 births per woman. That is the lowest value across all 54 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.4% on the previous year and down 25.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertility rate, total in Costa Rica peaked at 4.58 births per woman in 1970 and was at its lowest, 1.33 births per woman, in 2023.
That places Costa Rica 187th out of 215 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 54 years of available data.
Fertility rate, total in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | births per woman | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 4.58 births per woman | — |
| 1971 | 4.36 births per woman | -4.9% |
| 1972 | 4.16 births per woman | -4.7% |
| 1973 | 3.99 births per woman | -4.0% |
| 1974 | 3.89 births per woman | -2.5% |
| 1975 | 3.8 births per woman | -2.3% |
| 1976 | 3.75 births per woman | -1.5% |
| 1977 | 3.7 births per woman | -1.2% |
| 1978 | 3.66 births per woman | -1.1% |
| 1979 | 3.65 births per woman | -0.3% |
| 1980 | 3.58 births per woman | -1.9% |
| 1981 | 3.56 births per woman | -0.8% |
| 1982 | 3.54 births per woman | -0.4% |
| 1983 | 3.52 births per woman | -0.4% |
| 1984 | 3.52 births per woman | -0.2% |
| 1985 | 3.51 births per woman | -0.2% |
| 1986 | 3.45 births per woman | -1.6% |
| 1987 | 3.38 births per woman | -2.0% |
| 1988 | 3.31 births per woman | -2.1% |
| 1989 | 3.24 births per woman | -2.3% |
| 1990 | 3.17 births per woman | -2.2% |
| 1991 | 3.08 births per woman | -2.9% |
| 1992 | 3 births per woman | -2.4% |
| 1993 | 2.93 births per woman | -2.4% |
| 1994 | 2.86 births per woman | -2.4% |
| 1995 | 2.78 births per woman | -2.7% |
| 1996 | 2.68 births per woman | -3.5% |
| 1997 | 2.59 births per woman | -3.4% |
| 1998 | 2.53 births per woman | -2.4% |
| 1999 | 2.48 births per woman | -1.8% |
| 2000 | 2.41 births per woman | -2.7% |
| 2001 | 2.31 births per woman | -4.2% |
| 2002 | 2.16 births per woman | -6.5% |
| 2003 | 2.08 births per woman | -3.6% |
| 2004 | 2.03 births per woman | -2.7% |
| 2005 | 2.04 births per woman | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 1.94 births per woman | -5.0% |
| 2007 | 1.95 births per woman | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 1.98 births per woman | +1.3% |
| 2009 | 1.95 births per woman | -1.4% |
| 2010 | 1.83 births per woman | -6.5% |
| 2011 | 1.88 births per woman | +2.7% |
| 2012 | 1.85 births per woman | -1.4% |
| 2013 | 1.78 births per woman | -3.9% |
| 2014 | 1.8 births per woman | +1.2% |
| 2015 | 1.8 births per woman | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 1.75 births per woman | -2.8% |
| 2017 | 1.71 births per woman | -1.8% |
| 2018 | 1.71 births per woman | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 1.6 births per woman | -6.2% |
| 2020 | 1.45 births per woman | -9.5% |
| 2021 | 1.35 births per woman | -6.6% |
| 2022 | 1.33 births per woman | -1.3% |
| 2023 | 1.33 births per woman | -0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3.96 births per woman | 3.65 births per woman | 4.58 births per woman | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.46 births per woman | 3.24 births per woman | 3.58 births per woman | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.81 births per woman | 2.48 births per woman | 3.17 births per woman | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.09 births per woman | 1.94 births per woman | 2.41 births per woman | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.77 births per woman | 1.6 births per woman | 1.88 births per woman | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.37 births per woman | 1.33 births per woman | 1.45 births per woman | 4 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
More population data for Costa Rica
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.9965 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -0.2884 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.9965 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.6681 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 5,703 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.5224 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.7399 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate -1 (2100)
- Population density 73.96 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 123,827 (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fertility rate, total in Costa Rica?
- Fertility rate, total in Costa Rica was 1.33 births per woman in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest fertility rate, total recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 4.58 births per woman in 1970.
- What is the lowest fertility rate, total recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.33 births per woman in 2023.
- How does Costa Rica rank for fertility rate, total?
- Costa Rica ranks 187th out of 215 countries with data for 2023.
- Is fertility rate, total rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 25.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Fertility rate, total (births per woman). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 54 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release