Fertility rate: births per woman in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Fertility rate: births per woman was 1.33 live births per woman in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
1.33 live births per woman
Change on year
down 0.4%
World rank
208th
of 236 countries
All-time high
6.73 live births per woman
in 1959
All-time low
1.33 live births per woman
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Fertility rate: births per woman in Costa Rica, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in live births per woman.
Analysis
The most recent figure for fertility rate: births per woman in Costa Rica is 1.33 live births per woman, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
The figure is down 0.4% on the previous year and down 25.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertility rate: births per woman in Costa Rica peaked at 6.73 live births per woman in 1959 and was at its lowest, 1.33 live births per woman, in 2023.
Costa Rica ranks 208th of 236 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Fertility rate: births per woman in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | live births per woman | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 6.32 live births per woman | — |
| 1951 | 6.39 live births per woman | +1.2% |
| 1952 | 6.46 live births per woman | +1.0% |
| 1953 | 6.51 live births per woman | +0.8% |
| 1954 | 6.54 live births per woman | +0.5% |
| 1955 | 6.57 live births per woman | +0.5% |
| 1956 | 6.6 live births per woman | +0.5% |
| 1957 | 6.66 live births per woman | +0.9% |
| 1958 | 6.71 live births per woman | +0.8% |
| 1959 | 6.73 live births per woman | +0.3% |
| 1960 | 6.71 live births per woman | -0.3% |
| 1961 | 6.65 live births per woman | -0.9% |
| 1962 | 6.54 live births per woman | -1.6% |
| 1963 | 6.39 live births per woman | -2.4% |
| 1964 | 6.19 live births per woman | -3.1% |
| 1965 | 5.96 live births per woman | -3.8% |
| 1966 | 5.7 live births per woman | -4.4% |
| 1967 | 5.42 live births per woman | -4.9% |
| 1968 | 5.03 live births per woman | -7.2% |
| 1969 | 4.83 live births per woman | -3.8% |
| 1970 | 4.58 live births per woman | -5.2% |
| 1971 | 4.36 live births per woman | -4.9% |
| 1972 | 4.16 live births per woman | -4.7% |
| 1973 | 3.99 live births per woman | -4.0% |
| 1974 | 3.89 live births per woman | -2.5% |
| 1975 | 3.8 live births per woman | -2.3% |
| 1976 | 3.75 live births per woman | -1.5% |
| 1977 | 3.7 live births per woman | -1.2% |
| 1978 | 3.66 live births per woman | -1.1% |
| 1979 | 3.65 live births per woman | -0.3% |
| 1980 | 3.58 live births per woman | -1.9% |
| 1981 | 3.56 live births per woman | -0.8% |
| 1982 | 3.54 live births per woman | -0.4% |
| 1983 | 3.52 live births per woman | -0.4% |
| 1984 | 3.52 live births per woman | -0.2% |
| 1985 | 3.51 live births per woman | -0.2% |
| 1986 | 3.45 live births per woman | -1.6% |
| 1987 | 3.38 live births per woman | -2.0% |
| 1988 | 3.31 live births per woman | -2.1% |
| 1989 | 3.24 live births per woman | -2.3% |
| 1990 | 3.17 live births per woman | -2.2% |
| 1991 | 3.08 live births per woman | -2.9% |
| 1992 | 3 live births per woman | -2.4% |
| 1993 | 2.93 live births per woman | -2.4% |
| 1994 | 2.86 live births per woman | -2.4% |
| 1995 | 2.78 live births per woman | -2.7% |
| 1996 | 2.68 live births per woman | -3.5% |
| 1997 | 2.59 live births per woman | -3.4% |
| 1998 | 2.53 live births per woman | -2.4% |
| 1999 | 2.48 live births per woman | -1.8% |
| 2000 | 2.41 live births per woman | -2.7% |
| 2001 | 2.31 live births per woman | -4.2% |
| 2002 | 2.16 live births per woman | -6.5% |
| 2003 | 2.08 live births per woman | -3.6% |
| 2004 | 2.03 live births per woman | -2.7% |
| 2005 | 2.04 live births per woman | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 1.94 live births per woman | -5.0% |
| 2007 | 1.95 live births per woman | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 1.98 live births per woman | +1.3% |
| 2009 | 1.95 live births per woman | -1.4% |
| 2010 | 1.83 live births per woman | -6.5% |
| 2011 | 1.88 live births per woman | +2.7% |
| 2012 | 1.85 live births per woman | -1.4% |
| 2013 | 1.78 live births per woman | -3.9% |
| 2014 | 1.8 live births per woman | +1.2% |
| 2015 | 1.8 live births per woman | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 1.75 live births per woman | -2.8% |
| 2017 | 1.71 live births per woman | -1.8% |
| 2018 | 1.71 live births per woman | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 1.6 live births per woman | -6.2% |
| 2020 | 1.45 live births per woman | -9.5% |
| 2021 | 1.35 live births per woman | -6.6% |
| 2022 | 1.33 live births per woman | -1.3% |
| 2023 | 1.33 live births per woman | -0.4% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 1.33 live births per woman is below the median for high income countries, which is 1.5 live births per woman, 88% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 1.33 live births per woman is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 1.63 live births per woman, 81% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 6.55 live births per woman | 6.32 live births per woman | 6.73 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1960s | 5.94 live births per woman | 4.83 live births per woman | 6.71 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1970s | 3.96 live births per woman | 3.65 live births per woman | 4.58 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.46 live births per woman | 3.24 live births per woman | 3.58 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.81 live births per woman | 2.48 live births per woman | 3.17 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.09 live births per woman | 1.94 live births per woman | 2.41 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.77 live births per woman | 1.6 live births per woman | 1.88 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.37 live births per woman | 1.33 live births per woman | 1.45 live births per woman | 4 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
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 fertility rate: births per woman in Costa Rica?
- Fertility rate: births per woman in Costa Rica was 1.33 live births per woman in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fertility rate: births per woman recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 6.73 live births per woman in 1959.
- What is the lowest fertility rate: births per woman recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.33 live births per woman in 2023.
- How does Costa Rica rank for fertility rate: births per woman?
- Costa Rica ranks 208th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is fertility rate: births per woman rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 25.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- 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 Fertility rate: births per woman. 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
Total fertility rate: the average number of children a woman would have if she experienced the year's age-specific birth rates throughout her childbearing years.