Share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required was 8.9% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required in Costa Rica, 2003–2022
Source: Harvard Medical School Program in Global Surgery and Social Change (PGSSC), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of people at risk.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required in Costa Rica is 8.9%, measured in 2022.
The figure is down 16.8% on the previous year and down 6.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required in Costa Rica peaked at 17.3% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 7.0%, in 2018.
Costa Rica ranks 75th of 134 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 20 years of available data.
Share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | % of people at risk | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 17.3% | — |
| 2004 | 16.3% | -5.8% |
| 2005 | 15.5% | -4.9% |
| 2006 | 16.3% | +5.2% |
| 2007 | 15.6% | -4.3% |
| 2008 | 13.3% | -14.7% |
| 2009 | 14.3% | +7.5% |
| 2010 | 10.6% | -25.9% |
| 2011 | 10.7% | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 9.5% | -11.2% |
| 2013 | 9.4% | -1.1% |
| 2014 | 9.1% | -3.2% |
| 2015 | 8.1% | -11.0% |
| 2016 | 8.1% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 7.2% | -11.1% |
| 2018 | 7.0% | -2.8% |
| 2019 | 7.2% | +2.9% |
| 2020 | 7.6% | +5.6% |
| 2021 | 10.7% | +40.8% |
| 2022 | 8.9% | -16.8% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 8.9% is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.4%, 22.2× the median. (40 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 8.9% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 14.3%, 62% of the median. (19 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 15.5% | 13.3% | 17.3% | 7 |
| 2010s | 8.7% | 7.0% | 10.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.1% | 7.6% | 10.7% | 3 |
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 the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required in Costa Rica?
- Share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required in Costa Rica was 8.9% in 2022, according to Harvard Medical School Program in Global Surgery and Social Change (PGSSC), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 17.3% in 2003.
- What is the lowest share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.0% in 2018.
- How does Costa Rica rank for share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required?
- Costa Rica ranks 75th out of 134 countries with data for 2022.
- Is share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from Harvard Medical School Program in Global Surgery and Social Change (PGSSC), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 20 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Catastrophic expenditure is defined as direct out-of-pocket payments for surgical and anaesthesia care exceeding 10% of total income.