Costa Rica vs Nicaragua: Share of adults who are obese
Costa Rica
33.4%
in 2024
Nicaragua
34.0%
in 2024
Costa Rica rank
48th
Nicaragua rank
45th
Share of adults who are obese over time
- Costa Rica
- Nicaragua
How they compare
Nicaragua currently reports 34.0% against 33.4% in Costa Rica, a difference of 0.6%.
Across all 45 years both countries report, Nicaragua has been ahead every year.
Costa Rica ranks 48th and Nicaragua ranks 45th of 199 countries.
Nicaragua has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | Nicaragua | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 7.7% | 8.3% | 0.6% | Nicaragua |
| 1990s | 13.1% | 13.2% | 0.1% | Nicaragua |
| 2000s | 19.7% | 20.0% | 0.2% | Nicaragua |
| 2010s | 26.7% | 27.1% | 0.4% | Nicaragua |
| 2020s | 31.9% | 32.5% | 0.6% | Nicaragua |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of adults who are obese, Costa Rica or Nicaragua?
- Nicaragua, at 34.0% against 33.4% in Costa Rica as of 2024.
- What is the difference in share of adults who are obese between Costa Rica and Nicaragua?
- 0.6%, with Nicaragua ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and Nicaragua?
- 45 years are reported by both, from 1980 to 2024.
- How do Costa Rica and Nicaragua rank globally for share of adults who are obese?
- Costa Rica ranks 48th and Nicaragua ranks 45th of 199 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) β with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of adults who are obese. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Obesity is defined here as a body mass index (BMI) above 30. BMI is a person's weight in kilograms divided by the square of their height in meters.