Old-age dependency ratio in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Old-age dependency ratio was 17.0% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Old-age dependency ratio in Costa Rica, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Costa Rica recorded 17.0% for old-age dependency ratio in 2023. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.
The figure is up 4.0% on the previous year and up 42.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, old-age dependency ratio in Costa Rica peaked at 17.0% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 6.0%, in 1958.
That places Costa Rica 97th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 6.1% | 6.0% | 6.4% | 10 |
| 1960s | 6.1% | 6.0% | 6.2% | 10 |
| 1970s | 6.4% | 6.2% | 6.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.9% | 6.6% | 7.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 8.2% | 7.6% | 8.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 9.6% | 8.8% | 10.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.6% | 10.9% | 14.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 16.1% | 15.2% | 17.0% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
- 94 Grenada 17.4% compare
- 95 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 17.3% compare
- 96 Anguilla 17.3% compare
- 98 Trinidad and Tobago 16.9% compare
- 99 New Caledonia 16.5% compare
- 100 Falkland Islands 16.4% compare
More reference data data for Costa Rica
- Spring temperature anomalies 0.2864 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.8623 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.1052 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.3865 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.3144 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 143 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is old-age dependency ratio in Costa Rica?
- Old-age dependency ratio in Costa Rica was 17.0% in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest old-age dependency ratio recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 17.0% in 2023.
- What is the lowest old-age dependency ratio recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.0% in 1958.
- How does Costa Rica rank for old-age dependency ratio?
- Costa Rica ranks 97th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is old-age dependency ratio rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 42.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Old-age dependency ratio. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The number of people aged 65 and over per 100 working-age people (aged 15 to 64).