Share of population who haver never drunk alcohol in Costa Rica

Costa Rica: Share of population who haver never drunk alcohol was 32.6% in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
32.6%
Change on year
down 0.2%
World rank
114th
of 187 countries
All-time high
35.4%
in 2011
All-time low
32.6%
in 2020
Years of data
21
2000–2020

Share of population who haver never drunk alcohol in Costa Rica, 2000–2020

0102030402000201020202000: 35.1 %2001: 35.1 %2002: 35.2 %2003: 35.3 %2004: 35 %2005: 34.8 %2006: 34.2 %2007: 33.8 %2008: 33.6 %2009: 34.1 %2010: 34.5 %2011: 35.4 %2012: 35.2 %2013: 35.2 %2014: 34.7 %2015: 34.2 %2016: 33.2 %2017: 33.1 %2018: 32.6 %2019: 32.7 %2020: 32.6 %

Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

Costa Rica recorded 32.6% for share of population who haver never drunk alcohol in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 21 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.2% on the previous year and down 5.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population who haver never drunk alcohol in Costa Rica peaked at 35.4% in 2011 and was at its lowest, 32.6%, in 2020.

That places Costa Rica 114th out of 187 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 21 years of available data.

Share of population who haver never drunk alcohol in Costa Rica, year by year

Annual values for Share of population who haver never drunk alcohol in Costa Rica, 2000 to 2020.
Year % Change
2000 35.1%
2001 35.1% -0.1%
2002 35.2% +0.2%
2003 35.3% +0.4%
2004 35.0% -1.0%
2005 34.8% -0.4%
2006 34.2% -1.6%
2007 33.8% -1.2%
2008 33.6% -0.7%
2009 34.1% +1.5%
2010 34.5% +1.3%
2011 35.4% +2.5%
2012 35.2% -0.5%
2013 35.2% +0.2%
2014 34.7% -1.6%
2015 34.2% -1.4%
2016 33.2% -2.8%
2017 33.1% -0.4%
2018 32.6% -1.4%
2019 32.7% +0.0%
2020 32.6% -0.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 34.6% 33.6% 35.3% 10
2010s 34.1% 32.6% 35.4% 10
2020s 32.6% 32.6% 32.6% 1

Countries ranked near Costa Rica

  1. 111 Colombia 33.5% compare
  2. 112 Thailand 33.3% compare
  3. 113 Gabon 32.6% compare
  4. 115 Guyana 32.5% compare
  5. 116 Viet Nam 31.9% compare
  6. 117 Mexico 31.7% compare

See the full ranking of 187 places →

More population data for Costa Rica

All data for Costa Rica →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population who haver never drunk alcohol in Costa Rica?
Share of population who haver never drunk alcohol in Costa Rica was 32.6% in 2020, according to World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of population who haver never drunk alcohol recorded in Costa Rica?
The highest recorded value was 35.4% in 2011.
What is the lowest share of population who haver never drunk alcohol recorded in Costa Rica?
The lowest recorded value was 32.6% in 2020.
How does Costa Rica rank for share of population who haver never drunk alcohol?
Costa Rica ranks 114th out of 187 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of population who haver never drunk alcohol rising or falling in Costa Rica?
Over the last ten years it is down 5.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
The figures come from World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population who haver never drunk alcohol. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of population who haver never drunk alcohol in Costa Rica. Statizoid, drawing on World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 30 August 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-population-who-never-drink-alcohol/costa-rica/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of population who haver never drunk alcohol
Unit
%
Source
World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
187 places, 3,927 data points, 2000–2020
Last refreshed

Lifetime abstinence is defined as the proportion of adults (15+ years) in a given population who have not consumed any alcohol during their lifetime.