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Estimated prevalence of dementia per 1,000 population, 2021: 6.7
Estimated prevalence of dementia per 1,000 population, 2040: 12.7
Share of the population aged 65 and over, 2021: 9.2%
Share of the population aged 65 and over, 2050: 20.7%
Share of the population aged 80 and over, 2021: 1.9%
Share of the population aged 80 and over, 2050: 6.3%
Adults aged 65 and over rating their own health as good or very good, 2021: 63%

Source: OECD (2023), Health at a Glance 2023: OECD Indicators, OECD Publishing, Paris, doi.org/10.1787/7a7afb35-en.

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Population, Mid-Year 2019: 5,048,00
Projected Population Mid-Year 2030: 5,468,000
Percentage of Population Under Age 25 Years, Mid-Year 2019: 36%
Percentage of Population 65 Years Or Over, Mid-Year 2019: 10%

Source: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2019). World Population Prospects 2019: Data Booklet (ST/ESA/SER.A/424).

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“The social security system of Costa Rica has been in place for 77 years. It provides essentially universal (96%), health care including maternity care, disability and retirement income subsidies. With universal health care coverage, there are 102 public health districts served by 29 hospitals. 22 of these have staff geriatricians who have no insurance barriers to referral to the national geriatric hospital, NGGH [National Geriatrics and Gerontology Hospital]. Referrals come from any of the national network of hospitals and clinics. Adults aged 60 and older requiring specialized geriatric care can be referred to the central NGGH. We treated 57593 patients in the out-patient department last year, 2792 patients of the in-patient department and 19460 patients from the emergency department with a mean age of 84 years. The mean stay was 16.2 days. Patients are triaged to acute 137 beds) and intensive 134 beds) care or directly to subacute care for rehabilitation from strokes, fractures and other immobilizing conditions. More patients not requiring admission or no longer requiring inpatient care can be treated at the Day Hospital, outpatient consultation clinics or community care. When patients are ready to return home, NGGH staff coordinates with the community providers to whom the patient will return.”

A Teaching Geriatric Hospital. Morales-Martínez, F. J Nutr Health Aging (2019) 23: 4. doi.org/10.1007/s12603-018-1132-3.

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“Costa Rica has shown rapid growth of the elderly population. The life expectancy in 1950 was 57.3 years, while today it is 79.8 years. It is expected that by 2050 life expectancy will reach 82 years; this places Costa Rica in 34th place worldwide and 1st place in Latin America. The annual population growth rate is 1.4% due to a moderate birth rate (18 per 1000) and a low mortality rate (4.3 per 1000). In 2017, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal reported 680 centenarians. Three quarters of them were male and one quarter female. The information from the National Institute of Statistics and Census (INEC) has shown a decrease in birth rates (from 2.12 children per females to 1.76 in 2015). This is clear evidence that the Costa Rican populace is in a continuous process of demographic ageing and Costa Rica is now below the maintenance replace rate of 2.16 per female. The population less than 15 years of age is decreasing from 31.9% in 2000 to 24.8% in 2011; while the 65 years and older population is increasing from 5.3% in 2000 to 7.7% in 2018 (Figure 2).”

A Teaching Geriatric Hospital. Morales-Martínez, F. J Nutr Health Aging (2019) 23: 4. doi.org/10.1007/s12603-018-1132-3.

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World Health Systems Facts is a project of the Real Reporting Foundation. We provide reliable statistics and other data from authoritative sources regarding health systems and policies in the US and sixteen other nations.

Page last updated March 29, 2025 by Doug McVay, Editor.