Life in Costa Rica: Every Number That Shapes It (1800–2100)
Updated September 2026 · methodology
A child born in Costa Rica in the 2020s can expect to live 75 years on an average income of 14,500 international dollars. (UN WPP / World Bank, compiled by MYRIAD)
To measure a life in numbers is to track the quiet transformation of human potential. In Costa Rica, these statistics reflect a tangible expansion of health and security. The decline of child mortality from 180 to 16 per 1,000 births fundamentally reshapes the structure of family, while the drop in extreme poverty from 30 to 4.5 % elevates the baseline for daily existence. This is the story of time reclaimed and risks mitigated, where a life is no longer defined by scarcity but by broader horizons.
The historical arc from the 1950s to the 2020s reveals a country in rapid transition. Life expectancy has climbed from 51 to 75 years, and income per person has risen from 4,000 to 14,500 intl-$. Education has tripled, moving from 3 to 9 years, while the shift toward urbanization is marked by 81 % of the population living in cities. This movement away from traditional structures is mirrored in the change from 5.9 to 2 births per woman, reflecting modern demographic patterns.
A child born in Costa Rica in the 2020s can expect to live 75 years on an average income of 14,500 international dollars. Their world is defined by connectivity, with 97 % of homes possessing electricity and 68 % of the population enjoying internet access. Despite a homicide rate of 20 per 100,000, the barriers to global participation have lowered significantly. You can now navigate these data sets to compute your own parallel life in Costa Rica.
Explore MYRIAD to compute your own parallel lives across the globe.
🇨🇷 Every dimension below links to the full three-century series for Costa Rica — and to the same series for every other country, so you can see exactly where the birth lottery placed its people.
The numbers today vs 1950
| Dimension | 1950s | 2020s | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy at Birth | 51 | 75 years | history → |
| Income per Person (GDP per capita, PPP) | 4,000 | 14,500 intl-$ | history → |
| Child Mortality (under 5) | 180 | 16 per 1,000 births | history → |
| Years of Schooling | 3 | 9 years | history → |
| Children per Woman | 5.9 | 2 births | history → |
| Living in Cities | 41 | 81 % | history → |
| Internet Access | 0 | 68 % | history → |
| Electricity at Home | 40 | 97 % | history → |
| Homicide Rate | 22 | 20 per 100,000 | history → |
| Annual Working Hours | 2,300 | 1,950 hours/year | history → |
| Average Male Height | 165 | 171 cm | history → |
| Extreme Poverty | 30 | 4.5 % | history → |
See your parallel life in Costa Rica →
Questions people ask
What is life expectancy in Costa Rica?
75 years in the 2020s (UN WPP / World Bank data compiled by MYRIAD).
Is Costa Rica a good place to be born, statistically?
MYRIAD ranks every country by a composite of longevity, income, child survival, education and safety for each birth decade — enter your details on the homepage to see where Costa Rica lands for your cohort.