Fertility rate: births per woman in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Fertility rate: births per woman was 1.33 live births per woman in 2023. ▼ Falling
Fertility rate: births per woman in Costa Rica, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in live births per woman.
Analysis
The most recent figure for fertility rate: births per woman in Costa Rica is 1.33 live births per woman, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.4% on the previous year and down 25.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertility rate: births per woman in Costa Rica peaked at 6.73 live births per woman in 1959 and was at its lowest, 1.33 live births per woman, in 2023.
That places Costa Rica 208th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 6.55 live births per woman | 6.32 live births per woman | 6.73 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1960s | 5.94 live births per woman | 4.83 live births per woman | 6.71 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1970s | 3.96 live births per woman | 3.65 live births per woman | 4.58 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.46 live births per woman | 3.24 live births per woman | 3.58 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.81 live births per woman | 2.48 live births per woman | 3.17 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.09 live births per woman | 1.94 live births per woman | 2.41 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.77 live births per woman | 1.6 live births per woman | 1.88 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.37 live births per woman | 1.33 live births per woman | 1.45 live births per woman | 4 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
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 fertility rate: births per woman in Costa Rica?
- Fertility rate: births per woman in Costa Rica was 1.33 live births per woman in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fertility rate: births per woman recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 6.73 live births per woman in 1959.
- What is the lowest fertility rate: births per woman recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.33 live births per woman in 2023.
- How does Costa Rica rank for fertility rate: births per woman?
- Costa Rica ranks 208th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is fertility rate: births per woman 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 UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Fertility rate: births per woman. 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 total fertility rate: the average number of children a woman would have if she experienced the year's age-specific birth rates throughout her childbearing years.