Country page · Latin America & Caribbean
If you were born in Costa Rica
1 in 2,606 babies · 0.04% of births · about 51,483 a year
Right now, about 0.04% of the world's babies are born in Costa Rica — 1 in 2,606, or roughly 51,483 a year and 141 a day. Life expectancy there is 81.0 years.
How the 1 in 2,606 is calculated
This number is not based on population. It uses births: Costa Rica has about 51,483 births a year, and the world has about 134,147,481. Divide one by the other and you get 0.04% — 1 in 2,606. Using population instead would understate young countries and overstate ageing ones, so every draw is weighted by births.
Life in Costa Rica, in numbers
| Indicator | Value | World rank |
|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy women 83.6 · men 78.4 | 81.0 years | 33rd highest of 172 countries |
| Chance of dying before 5 10.4 / 1,000 | 1.0% | 67th lowest of 170 countries |
| Chance of dying before 1 9.1 / 1,000 | 0.9% | 67th lowest of 170 countries |
| Mothers who die giving birth per 100,000 births | 24 | 70th lowest of 170 countries |
| Children per woman | 1.32 | 24th lowest of 172 countries |
| Expected years of schooling | 16.5 years | 22nd highest of 168 countries |
| Tertiary enrollment | 55.0% | 65th highest of 168 countries |
| Income per person (PPP) GDP per capita, PPP | $33,815 | 58th highest of 170 countries |
| Income inequality closer to 0 = more equal | 45.50 | 16th highest of 157 countries |
| People living in cities | 79.7% | 39th highest of 172 countries |
| People working in farming | 11.5% | 71st lowest of 171 countries |
| People using the internet | 87.2% | 65th highest of 172 countries |
| Homicide per 100,000 people | 17.7 | 141st lowest of 155 countries |
| Health costs paid out of pocket share of health spending | 24.1% | 61st lowest of 168 countries |
| Adults living with HIV | 0.60% | 55th highest of 142 countries |
| People who smoke | 7.9% | — |
How to read these numbers
Income is shown in purchasing-power-parity dollars, so it compares what money buys locally rather than market exchange rates. The under-5 rate is the share of babies who die before their fifth birthday; the maternal mortality ratio is per 100,000 live births. A Gini index closer to 0 means a more equal income distribution, and a higher number means a more unequal one.
Each indicator uses the most recent year with a non-empty value, which can differ by country; the rank compares this country with the other 171 in the dataset, not with every country on Earth. Where a value is missing, the page shows a dash rather than an estimate.
Costa Rica compared with Latin America & Caribbean
Life expectancy in Costa Rica is 81.0 years, against a Latin America & Caribbean average of 75.1. The under-5 death rate is 1.0%, versus 1.6% across the region. Income per person is $33,815, against $26,587 regionally; expected schooling is 16.5 years against 13.2. 79.7% of people live in cities, against 71.1% in the region.
| Indicator | Costa Rica | Latin America & Caribbean | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy | 81.0 yrs | 75.1 yrs | 73.3 yrs |
| Under-5 deaths | 1.0% | 1.6% | 2.6% |
| Income per person (PPP) | $33,815 | $26,587 | $30,311 |
| Expected schooling | 16.5 yrs | 13.2 yrs | 13.0 yrs |
| People in cities | 79.7% | 71.1% | 61.6% |
What a life there looks like
Put those numbers together and you get a life: about 81.0 years on average, with roughly 10.4 of every 1,000 babies dying before their fifth birthday. A child can expect 16.5 years of school, and income per person is around $33,815. These are averages — every life still lands somewhere on the distribution.
If you play as someone born in Costa Rica
The game draws Costa Rica in about 1 of every 2,606 births. From there the life runs year by year: 81.0 years of life expectancy on average, a 1.0% chance of dying before five, and an income of about $33,815 per person. Choices move the odds; the starting statistics do not.
Nearby and similar countries
- Chance of being born in Uruguay — 1 in 4,043
- Chance of being born in Jamaica — 1 in 4,130
- Chance of being born in Panama — 1 in 1,850
- All 172 countries
Frequently asked questions
What are the odds of being born in Costa Rica?
What is life expectancy in Costa Rica?
How many babies are born in Costa Rica each year?
Is Costa Rica a good country to be born in, in the game?
Source: World Bank World Development Indicators, with UN World Population Prospects 2024 and UN IGME for births and mortality. Values are the most recent non-empty year for each indicator; the year is noted where it differs. Page updated 24 Oct 2026.