Share of children who were born outside of marriage in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Share of children who were born outside of marriage was 72.5% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of children who were born outside of marriage in Costa Rica, 1983–2020
Source: OECD (2025); OECD (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of children who were born outside of marriage in Costa Rica is 72.5%, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 38 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 7.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children who were born outside of marriage in Costa Rica peaked at 72.5% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 37.2%, in 1984.
That places Costa Rica 2nd out of 42 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 38 years of available data.
Share of children who were born outside of marriage in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 38.1% | — |
| 1984 | 37.2% | -2.4% |
| 1985 | 37.6% | +1.1% |
| 1986 | 38.4% | +2.1% |
| 1987 | 38.8% | +1.0% |
| 1988 | 38.7% | -0.3% |
| 1989 | 38.3% | -1.0% |
| 1990 | 38.5% | +0.5% |
| 1991 | 40.3% | +4.7% |
| 1992 | 40.6% | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 42.1% | +3.7% |
| 1994 | 44.7% | +6.2% |
| 1995 | 45.9% | +2.7% |
| 1996 | 47.1% | +2.6% |
| 1997 | 47.9% | +1.7% |
| 1998 | 49.3% | +2.9% |
| 1999 | 51.1% | +3.7% |
| 2000 | 52.7% | +3.1% |
| 2001 | 53.5% | +1.5% |
| 2002 | 55.3% | +3.3% |
| 2003 | 57.0% | +3.1% |
| 2004 | 58.9% | +3.4% |
| 2005 | 60.2% | +2.2% |
| 2006 | 61.4% | +2.0% |
| 2007 | 63.1% | +2.7% |
| 2008 | 64.6% | +2.3% |
| 2009 | 66.6% | +3.1% |
| 2010 | 67.4% | +1.2% |
| 2011 | 68.2% | +1.2% |
| 2012 | 69.4% | +1.8% |
| 2013 | 69.3% | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 69.4% | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 69.0% | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 70.2% | +1.7% |
| 2017 | 71.0% | +1.2% |
| 2018 | 71.8% | +1.1% |
| 2019 | 72.4% | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 72.5% | +0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 38.2% | 37.2% | 38.8% | 7 |
| 1990s | 44.8% | 38.5% | 51.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 59.3% | 52.7% | 66.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 69.8% | 67.4% | 72.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 72.5% | 72.5% | 72.5% | 1 |
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)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children who were born outside of marriage in Costa Rica?
- Share of children who were born outside of marriage in Costa Rica was 72.5% in 2020, according to OECD (2025); OECD (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of children who were born outside of marriage recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 72.5% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of children who were born outside of marriage recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 37.2% in 1984.
- How does Costa Rica rank for share of children who were born outside of marriage?
- Costa Rica ranks 2nd out of 42 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of children who were born outside of marriage rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from OECD (2025); OECD (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of children who were born outside of marriage. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of all children born to mothers who were not married at the time of birth.