Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty was 2.9% in 2018. ▬ Flat
Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Costa Rica, 1989–2018
Source: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME) - UNICEF, WHO, and World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of children under 5.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Costa Rica is 2.9%, measured in 2018.
The figure is up 222.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Costa Rica peaked at 3.8% in 1996 and was at its lowest, 0.9%, in 2008.
That places Costa Rica 76th out of 96 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 2.4% | — |
| 1990 | 2.5% | +4.2% |
| 1991 | 2.2% | -12.0% |
| 1992 | 2.0% | -9.1% |
| 1993 | 2.0% | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 1.9% | -5.0% |
| 1996 | 3.8% | +100.0% |
| 2008 | 0.9% | -76.3% |
| 2018 | 2.9% | +222.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 2.4% | 2.4% | 2.4% | 1 |
| 1990s | 2.4% | 1.9% | 3.8% | 6 |
| 2000s | 0.9% | 0.9% | 0.9% | 1 |
| 2010s | 2.9% | 2.9% | 2.9% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
- 73 Azerbaijan 3.0% compare
- 73 Dominican Republic 3.0% compare
- 73 Morocco 3.0% compare
- 76 Kyrgyzstan 2.9% compare
- 76 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 2.9% compare
- 79 Kuwait 2.8% compare
More poverty & inequality data for Costa Rica
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 10 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 1.33 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 3,807 kg per hectare (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate -14.41 % change on previous year (2024)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 24.93 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 24.9% (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Costa Rica?
- Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Costa Rica was 2.9% in 2018, according to Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME) - UNICEF, WHO, and World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 3.8% in 1996.
- What is the lowest share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.9% in 2008.
- How does Costa Rica rank for share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty?
- Costa Rica ranks 76th out of 96 countries with data for 2018.
- Is share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 222.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME) - UNICEF, WHO, and World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Underweight children are those less than 5 years old, whose weight for age is more than two standard deviations below the median for the international reference population. Extreme poverty is defined as living below the International Poverty Line of $3 per day.