Self-reported life satisfaction in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Self-reported life satisfaction was 7.44 in 2025. ▬ Flat
Self-reported life satisfaction in Costa Rica, 2011–2025
Source: Wellbeing Research Centre (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for self-reported life satisfaction in Costa Rica is 7.44, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 14 years on record.
The figure is up 2.3% on the previous year and up 5.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-reported life satisfaction in Costa Rica peaked at 7.44 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 6.58, in 2021.
That places Costa Rica 4th out of 157 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
Self-reported life satisfaction in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 7.25 | — |
| 2012 | 7.26 | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 7.23 | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 7.09 | -1.9% |
| 2016 | 7.08 | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 7.07 | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 7.17 | +1.3% |
| 2019 | 7.12 | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 7.07 | -0.7% |
| 2021 | 6.58 | -6.9% |
| 2022 | 6.61 | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 6.96 | +5.2% |
| 2024 | 7.27 | +4.6% |
| 2025 | 7.44 | +2.3% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 7.44 is above the median for high income countries, which is 6.63, 1.1× the median. (51 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 7.44 is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 6.3, 1.2× the median. (22 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 7.16 | 7.07 | 7.26 | 8 |
| 2020s | 6.99 | 6.58 | 7.44 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
More social development data for Costa Rica
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 36,395 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 367 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 1 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0001 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 367 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0071 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-reported life satisfaction in Costa Rica?
- Self-reported life satisfaction in Costa Rica was 7.44 in 2025, according to Wellbeing Research Centre (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest self-reported life satisfaction recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 7.44 in 2025.
- What is the lowest self-reported life satisfaction recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.58 in 2021.
- How does Costa Rica rank for self-reported life satisfaction?
- Costa Rica ranks 4th out of 157 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-reported life satisfaction rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from Wellbeing Research Centre (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Self-reported life satisfaction. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Average of survey responses. The survey question asks respondents their current position on a hypothetical ladder, where the best possible life for them is a 10, and the worst possible life is a 0.