Old-age dependency ratio in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Old-age dependency ratio was 17.0% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
17.0%
Change on year
up 4.0%
World rank
97th
of 236 countries
All-time high
17.0%
in 2023
All-time low
6.0%
in 1958
Years of data
74
1950–2023
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.
Old-age dependency ratio in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 6.4% | — |
| 1951 | 6.2% | -1.8% |
| 1952 | 6.1% | -1.5% |
| 1953 | 6.1% | -1.1% |
| 1954 | 6.0% | -0.7% |
| 1955 | 6.0% | -0.4% |
| 1956 | 6.0% | -0.1% |
| 1957 | 6.0% | -0.1% |
| 1958 | 6.0% | -0.1% |
| 1959 | 6.0% | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 6.0% | +0.2% |
| 1961 | 6.0% | +0.3% |
| 1962 | 6.1% | +0.4% |
| 1963 | 6.1% | +0.5% |
| 1964 | 6.1% | +0.4% |
| 1965 | 6.1% | +0.3% |
| 1966 | 6.1% | +0.3% |
| 1967 | 6.2% | +0.2% |
| 1968 | 6.2% | +0.1% |
| 1969 | 6.2% | +0.2% |
| 1970 | 6.2% | +0.3% |
| 1971 | 6.2% | +0.4% |
| 1972 | 6.2% | +0.5% |
| 1973 | 6.3% | +0.6% |
| 1974 | 6.3% | +0.7% |
| 1975 | 6.4% | +0.8% |
| 1976 | 6.4% | +0.8% |
| 1977 | 6.5% | +0.8% |
| 1978 | 6.5% | +0.8% |
| 1979 | 6.6% | +0.7% |
| 1980 | 6.6% | +0.7% |
| 1981 | 6.7% | +0.6% |
| 1982 | 6.7% | +0.7% |
| 1983 | 6.8% | +0.8% |
| 1984 | 6.8% | +1.1% |
| 1985 | 6.9% | +1.3% |
| 1986 | 7.0% | +1.5% |
| 1987 | 7.1% | +1.7% |
| 1988 | 7.3% | +1.9% |
| 1989 | 7.4% | +2.1% |
| 1990 | 7.6% | +2.0% |
| 1991 | 7.7% | +1.9% |
| 1992 | 7.9% | +1.9% |
| 1993 | 8.0% | +1.8% |
| 1994 | 8.1% | +1.6% |
| 1995 | 8.3% | +1.4% |
| 1996 | 8.4% | +1.3% |
| 1997 | 8.5% | +1.2% |
| 1998 | 8.6% | +1.2% |
| 1999 | 8.7% | +1.3% |
| 2000 | 8.8% | +1.4% |
| 2001 | 8.9% | +1.6% |
| 2002 | 9.1% | +1.8% |
| 2003 | 9.3% | +1.9% |
| 2004 | 9.5% | +2.0% |
| 2005 | 9.6% | +2.1% |
| 2006 | 9.9% | +2.2% |
| 2007 | 10.1% | +2.3% |
| 2008 | 10.3% | +2.4% |
| 2009 | 10.6% | +2.5% |
| 2010 | 10.9% | +2.7% |
| 2011 | 11.2% | +2.9% |
| 2012 | 11.5% | +3.1% |
| 2013 | 11.9% | +3.3% |
| 2014 | 12.3% | +3.4% |
| 2015 | 12.7% | +3.4% |
| 2016 | 13.2% | +3.5% |
| 2017 | 13.6% | +3.5% |
| 2018 | 14.1% | +3.7% |
| 2019 | 14.7% | +3.8% |
| 2020 | 15.2% | +3.7% |
| 2021 | 15.8% | +3.5% |
| 2022 | 16.3% | +3.6% |
| 2023 | 17.0% | +4.0% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 17.0% is below the median for high income countries, which is 25.9%, 66% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 17.0% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 14.7%, 1.2× the median. (42 countries reporting)
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
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.2987 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.406 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.27 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0167 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.27 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.3161 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 2.24 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 5.91 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0907 (2050)
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.
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About this data
Number of people aged 65 and over per 100 working-age people (aged 15 to 64).