Abortion statistics and other data--Johnston`s Archive
Historical abortion statistics, Costa Rica
compiled by Wm. Robert Johnston
last updated 6 June 2026
Definition of table data (see notes after table for additional information):
- Live births.
- Abortions, reported includes legal reported induced abortions.
- Abortions (AWR) are combined reported and estimated abortion occurrences from the Abortion Worldwide Report and working papers.
- Abortions, residents, in country only includes reported
abortions obtained within the country by residents only.
- Abortions, residents, obtained abroad includes reported
abortions by country residents obtained in other countries.
- Abortions, residents, total includes reported abortions
by residents, obtained both within the country and abroad.
- Fetal deaths generally includes fetal deaths or stillbirths
of at least 20 weeks` gestation.
- Abortion ratio is abortions per 1000 live births.
- Abortion % is abortions as percentage of pregnancies
(excluding fetal deaths/miscarriages).
- Abortion rate, residents is abortions by residency per 1000 women ages 15-44.
- Abortion rate, occurrences (AWR) is abortion occurrences from Abortion Worldwide Report figures per 1000 women ages 15-39.
| year | live births | abortions, reported | abortions (AWR) | abortions, residents, in country only | abortions, residents, obtained abroad | abortions, residents, total | fetal deaths | abortion ratio | abortion % | abortion
rate,
residents | abortion
rate, occurrences (AWR) |
|---|
residents, in/out of country | all in country | residents, in/out of country | all in country |
| 1948 | 34,225 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 1949 | 34,897 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 1950 | 37,498 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 1951 | 39,710 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 1952 | 41,662 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 1953 | 44,010 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 1954 | 47,068 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 1955 | 48,296 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 1956 | 65,443 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 1957 | 66,776 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 1958 | 61,016 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 1959 | 60,892 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 1960 | 59,585 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 1961 | 57,939 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 1962 | 61,016 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 1963 | 63,042 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 1964 | 61,874 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 1965 | 63,079 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 1966 | 62,963 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 1967 | 61,963 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 1968 | 59,213 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 1969 | 57,984 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 1970 | 57,757 | | (200) | | | | | | | | | | |
| 1971 | 56,338 | | (400) | | | | | | | | | | |
| 1972 | 57,438 | | (600) | | | | | | | | | | |
| 1973 | 53,455 | | (800) | | | | | | | | | | |
| 1974 | 56,769 | | (1,200) | | | | | | | | | | |
| 1975 | 58,140 | | (1,600) | | | | | | | | | | |
| 1976 | 59,965 | | (2,000) | | | | | | | | | | |
| 1977 | 64,188 | | (2,600) | | | | | | | | | | |
| 1978 | 63,280 | | (3,300) | | | | | | | | | | |
| 1979 | 65,513 | | (4,000) | | | | | | | | | | |
| 1980 | 66,101 | | (4,600) | | | | | | | | | | |
| 1981 | 67,715 | | (5,200) | | | | | | | | | | |
| 1982 | 71,257 | | (5,800) | | | | | | | | | | |
| 1983 | 72,953 | | (6,400) | | | | | | | | | | |
| 1984 | 75,993 | 7,107 | 7,107 | (7,107) | | 7,107 | | 93.5 | 93.5 | 8.55 | 8.55 | 10.93 | 12.9 |
| 1985 | 84,252 | 7,133 | 7,133 | (7,133) | | 7,133 | | 84.7 | 84.7 | 7.81 | 7.81 | 10.90 | 12.5 |
| 1986 | | 6,930 | 6,930 | (6,930) | | 6,930 | | | | | | 10.03 | 11.8 |
| 1987 | 80,326 | 6,129 | 6,129 | (6,129) | | 6,129 | | 76.3 | 76.3 | 7.09 | 7.09 | 8.74 | 10.2 |
| 1988 | 81,376 | 8,541 | 8,541 | (8,541) | | 8,541 | | 105.0 | 105.0 | 9.50 | 9.50 | 11.73 | 13.9 |
| 1989 | 83,460 | 7,971 | 7,971 | (7,971) | | 7,971 | | 95.5 | 95.5 | 8.72 | 8.72 | 10.66 | 12.7 |
| 1990 | 81,939 | 7,539 | 7,539 | (7,539) | | 7,539 | 732 | 92.0 | 92.0 | 8.43 | 8.43 | 9.82 | 11.7 |
| 1991 | 81,110 | 8,346 | 8,346 | (8,346) | | 8,346 | 662 | 102.9 | 102.9 | 9.33 | 9.33 | 10.06 | 12.7 |
| 1992 | 80,164 | 7,462 | 7,462 | (7,462) | | 7,462 | | 93.1 | 93.1 | 8.52 | 8.52 | 10.36 | 11.2 |
| 1993 | | | (7,700) | | | | | | | | | | 11.2 |
| 1994 | 80,391 | | (8,000) | | | | | | | | | | 11.3 |
| 1995 | 80,306 | 8,253 | 8,253 | (8,253) | | 8,253 | | 102.8 | 102.8 | 9.32 | 9.32 | 10.06 | 11.32 |
| 1996 | 79,203 | 9,009 | 9,009 | (9,009) | | 9,009 | | 113.7 | 113.7 | 10.21 | 10.21 | 10.68 | 12.02 |
| 1997 | 78,018 | 8,705 | 8,705 | (8,705) | | 8,705 | | 111.6 | 111.6 | 10.04 | 10.04 | 10.03 | 11.32 |
| 1998 | 76,982 | 8,850 | 8,850 | (8,850) | | 8,850 | | 115.0 | 115.0 | 10.31 | 10.31 | 9.91 | 11.21 |
| 1999 | 78,526 | 9,160 | 9,160 | (9,160) | | 9,160 | | 116.6 | 116.6 | 10.45 | 10.45 | 9.99 | 11.33 |
| 2000 | 78,178 | 9,711 | 9,711 | (9,711) | | 9,711 | | 124.2 | 124.2 | 11.05 | 11.05 | 10.34 | 11.74 |
| 2001 | 76,401 | 8,220 | 8,220 | (8,220) | | 8,220 | 510 | 107.6 | 107.6 | 9.71 | 9.71 | 8.57 | 9.74 |
| 2002 | 71,144 | 8,332 | 8,332 | (8,332) | | 8,332 | 465 | 117.1 | 117.1 | 10.48 | 10.48 | 8.52 | 9.73 |
| 2003 | 72,938 | 8,967 | 8,967 | (8,967) | | 8,967 | 471 | 122.9 | 122.9 | 10.95 | 10.95 | 9.02 | 10.33 |
| 2004 | 72,247 | 8,801 | 8,801 | (8,801) | | 8,801 | 524 | 121.8 | 121.8 | 10.86 | 10.86 | 8.71 | 10.01 |
| 2005 | 71,548 | 8,411 | 8,411 | (8,411) | | 8,411 | 503 | 117.6 | 117.6 | 10.52 | 10.52 | 8.21 | 9.44 |
| 2006 | 71,291 | 8,367 | 8,367 | (8,367) | | 8,367 | 436 | 117.4 | 117.4 | 10.50 | 10.50 | 8.06 | 9.30 |
| 2007 | 73,144 | 8,504 | 8,504 | (8,504) | | 8,504 | 345 | 116.3 | 116.3 | 10.42 | 10.42 | 8.09 | 9.36 |
| 2008 | 75,187 | 8,733 | 8,733 | (8,733) | | 8,733 | 400 | 116.2 | 116.2 | 10.41 | 10.41 | 8.23 | 9.52 |
| 2009 | 75,000 | 7,848 | 7,848 | (7,848) | | 7,848 | 409 | 104.6 | 104.6 | 9.47 | 9.47 | 7.33 | 8.47 |
| 2010 | 70,922 | 7,697 | 7,697 | (7,697) | | 7,697 | 389 | 108.5 | 108.5 | 9.79 | 9.79 | 7.12 | 8.22 |
| 2011 | 73,459 | 7,882 | 7,882 | (7,882) | | 7,882 | 471 | 107.3 | 107.3 | 9.69 | 9.69 | 7.24 | 8.33 |
| 2012 | 73,326 | 7,405 | 7,405 | (7,405) | | 7,405 | 332 | 101.0 | 101.0 | 9.17 | 9.17 | 6.75 | 7.75 |
| 2013 | 70,550 | 7,283 | 7,283 | (7,283) | | 7,283 | 327 | 103.2 | 103.2 | 9.36 | 9.36 | 6.58 | 7.56 |
| 2014 | 71,793 | 7,138 | 7,138 | (7,138) | | 7,138 | 319 | 99.4 | 99.4 | 9.04 | 9.04 | 6.41 | 7.35 |
| 2015 | 71,819 | 6,997 | 6,997 | (6,997) | | 6,997 | 326 | 97.4 | 97.4 | 8.88 | 8.88 | 6.25 | 7.15 |
| 2016 | 70,004 | 6,585 | 6,585 | (6,585) | | 6,585 | 314 | 94.1 | 94.1 | 8.60 | 8.60 | 5.84 | 6.67 |
| 2017 | 68,816 | | (6,200) | | | | 276 | | | | | | (6.3) |
| 2018 | 68,479 | 5,884 | 5,884 | (5,884) | | 5,884 | 316 | 85.9 | 85.9 | 7.91 | 7.91 | 5.17 | 5.90 |
| 2019 | 64,287 | 5,583 | 5,583 | (5,583) | | 5,583 | 233 | 86.8 | 86.8 | 7.99 | 7.99 | | 5.58 |
| 2020 | 58,156 | 4,198 | 4,198 | (4,198) | | 4,198 | 344 | 72.2 | 72.2 | 6.73 | 6.73 | | 4.19 |
| 2021 | 54,289 | | (3,900) | | | | 377 | | | | | | (3.9) |
| 2022 | 53,435 | | (3,600) | | | | 212 | | | | | | (3.6) |
| 2023 | 50,205 | 3,373 | 3,373 | (3,373) | | 3,373 | 220 | 67.2 | 67.2 | 6.30 | 6.30 | | (3.4) |
| 2024 | 45,825 | | (3,100) | | | | 278 | | | | | | (3.1) |
| 2025 | | | (2,900) | | | | | | | | | | |
| year | live births | abortions, reported | abortions (AWR) | abortions, residents, in country only | abortions, residents, obtained abroad | abortions, residents, total | fetal deaths | abortion ratio | abortion % | abortion
rate,
residents | abortion
rate, occurrences (AWR) |
|---|
residents, in/out of country | all in country | residents, in/out of country | all in country |
Notes:
- Parenthetical figures are estimates, some of which are
derived from reported data.
- Abortion ratios, percentages, and rates may be based on a mix of
data from different sources and thus may not represent a consistent time series.
Sources:
- United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2007, "Table 13. Legally induced abortions: 1996-2005," in United Nations Demographic Yearbook 2005, United Nations (New York, NY), on line at United Nations Statistics Division [http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/dyb2005/Table13.pdf].
- United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2010, "Table 13. Legally induced abortions: 1999-2008," in United Nations Demographic Yearbook 2008, United Nations (New York, NY), on line at United Nations Statistics Division [http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/dyb2008/Table13.pdf].
- United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2011, "Table 13. Legally induced abortions: 2001-2010," in United Nations Demographic Yearbook 2009-2010, United Nations (New York, NY), on line at United Nations Statistics Division [http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/dyb2009-2010/Table13.pdf].
- United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2011, "Table 9. Live births and crude birth rates, by urban/rural residence: 2006-2010," in United Nations Demographic Yearbook 2009-2010, United Nations (New York, NY), on line at United Nations Statistics Division [http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/dyb2009-2010/Table09.pdf].
- United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2012, "Table 9. Live births and crude birth rates, by urban/rural residence: 2007-2011," in United Nations Demographic Yearbook 2009-2010, United Nations (New York, NY), on line at United Nations Statistics Division [http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/dyb2011/Table09.pdf].
- United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 23 July 2008, "Table 9. Live births and crude birth rates, by urban/rural residence: 2002-2006," in United Nations Demographic Yearbook 2006, United Nations (New York, NY), on line at United Nations Statistics Division [http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/dyb2006/Table09.pdf].
- United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 9 Oct. 2009, "Table 4. Vital statistics summary and expectation of life at birth: 2003-2007," in United Nations Demographic Yearbook 2007, United Nations (New York, NY), on line at United Nations Statistics Division [http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/dyb2007/Table04.pdf].
- United Nations Statistics Division, 21 Feb. 2008, "Legally induced abortions by urban/rural residence of woman," on line at UNdata [http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?d=POP&f=tableCode%3a17].
- United Nations Statistics Division, 21 Feb. 2008, "Live births by sex and urban/rural residence," on line at UNdata [http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?d=POP&f=tableCode%3a4].
- United Nations Statistics Division, 1 July 2014, "3. Live births, deaths, and infant deaths, latest available year (1999-2013)," United Nations Statistics Division, on line [a href=https://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/vitstats/serATab3.pdf>https://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/vitstats/serATab3.pdf].
- United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2008, "Table 12. Late foetal deaths and late foetal death ratios, by urban/rural residence: 2003-2007," in United Nations Demographic Yearbook 2007, United Nations (New York, NY), on line at United Nations Statistics Division [http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/dyb2007/Table12.pdf].
- United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2011, "Table 12. Late foetal deaths and late foetal death ratios, by urban/rural residence: 2006-2010," in United Nations Demographic Yearbook 2009-2010, United Nations (New York, NY), on line at United Nations Statistics Division [http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/dyb2009-2010/Table12.pdf].
- United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2014, "Table 12. Late foetal deaths and late foetal death ratios, by urban/rural residence: 2009-2013," in United Nations Demographic Yearbook 2013, United Nations (New York, NY), on line at United Nations Statistics Division [http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/dyb2013/Table12.pdf].
- United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2014, "Table 9. Live births and crude birth rates, by urban/rural residence: 2009-2013," in United Nations Demographic Yearbook 2013, United Nations (New York, NY), on line at United Nations Statistics Division [http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/dyb2013/Table09.pdf].
- United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 12 Aug. 2015, "3. Live births, deaths, and infant deaths, latest available year (2000-2014)," United Nations Statistics Division, on line [http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/vitstats/serATab3.pdf].
- United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2015, "Table 12. Late foetal deaths and late foetal death ratios, by urban/rural residence: 2010-2014," in United Nations Demographic Yearbook 2014, United Nations (New York, NY), on line at United Nations Statistics Division [http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/dyb2014/Table12.pdf].
- United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2015, "Table 13. Legally induced abortions: 2005-2014," in United Nations Demographic Yearbook 2014, United Nations (New York, NY), on line at United Nations Statistics Division [http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/dyb2014/Table11.pdf].
- United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2000, "Table 5. Live births by age of mother, sex and urban/rural residence: 1948-1997," in United Nations Demographic Yearbook 1948-1997: Historical Supplement, United Nations (New York, NY), on line at United Nations Statistics Division [http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/DYBHist/HistTab05.pdf].
- United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2001, "Table 15. Late foetal deaths and late foetal death ratios, by urban/rural residence: 1990-1998," in United Nations Demographic Yearbook 1999, United Nations (New York, NY), on line at United Nations Statistics Division [https://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/DYBNat/NatStatTab15.pdf].
- United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2007, "Table 12. Late foetal deaths and late foetal death ratios, by urban/rural residence: 2001-2005," in United Nations Demographic Yearbook 2005, United Nations (New York, NY), on line at United Nations Statistics Division [https://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/dyb2005/Table12.pdf].
- United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2010, "Table 12. Late foetal deaths and late foetal death ratios, by urban/rural residence: 2004-2008," in United Nations Demographic Yearbook 2008, United Nations (New York, NY), on line at United Nations Statistics Division [https://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/dyb2008/Table12.pdf].
- United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2012, "Table 13. Legally induced abortions: 2002-2011," in United Nations Demographic Yearbook 2011, United Nations (New York, NY), on line at United Nations Statistics Division [http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/dyb2011/Table13.pdf].
- United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2012, "Table 9. Live births and crude birth rates, by urban/rural residence: 2007-2011," in United Nations Demographic Yearbook 2009-2010, United Nations (New York, NY), on line at United Nations Statistics Division [http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/dyb2011/Table09.pdf].
- United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2013, "Table 12. Late foetal deaths and late foetal death ratios, by urban/rural residence: 2008-2012," in United Nations Demographic Yearbook 2012, United Nations (New York, NY), on line at United Nations Statistics Division [https://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/dyb2012/Table12.pdf].
- United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2018, "Table 12. Late foetal deaths and late foetal death ratios, by urban/rural residence: 2011-2016," United Nations Statistics Division, on line [https://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic-social/products/dyb/documents/dyb2016/table12.pdf].
- United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2018, "Table 9. Live births and crude birth rates, by urban/rural residence: 2012-2016," United Nations Statistics Division, on line [https://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic-social/products/dyb/documents/dyb2016/table09.pdf].
© 2000-2025, 2026 by Wm. Robert Johnston.
Last modified 6 June 2026.
Return to Home. Return to Other Policy Issues. Return to
Abortion Statistics.