Central America
Costa Rica
Absolute number
Prevalence
Married by 15: Number of girls and women (left) and percentage of women 20-24 years (right) married before age 15
Married by 18: Number of girls and women (left) and percentage of women 20-24 years (right) married before age 18
Prevalence of child marriage
- Costa Rica
- Central America
The line chart shows the prevalence of child marriage (before age 18) in Costa Rica and Central America from 1993 to 2024.
In Costa Rica, 22% of girls in 1993 married before age 18, compared with 17% in 2018, which is the latest available value.
In Central America, the prevalence was 24% in 1999 and was 21% in 2024.
Show data table
| Year | Costa Rica | Central America |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 21.5% | |
| 1998 | 22.0% | |
| 1999 | 24.2% | |
| 2003 | 22.8% | |
| 2004 | 24.9% | |
| 2008 | 19.5% | |
| 2009 | 26.4% | |
| 2013 | 20.0% | |
| 2014 | 25.1% | |
| 2018 | 17.1% | |
| 2019 | 22.9% | |
| 2024 | 20.8% |
Costa Rica
Child Marriage
Prevalence
Residence
- Rural
- Urban
Wealth
- Poorest
- Second
- Middle
- Fourth
- Richest
Education
- No schooling
- Primary education
- Secondary or higher
Compare regions of Costa Rica
Understand differences inside the country
Touch the timeline to see how the child marriage affect differently each sub-region of Costa Rica in the last decades.
Levels of child marriage vary across different parts of Costa Rica. See the range of values within the country, and explore the map for details.
Prevalence of child marriage
Compare regions of Costa Rica
Understand differences
inside the country
Region with no data
2018
Prevalence of child marriage in each region of Costa Rica in 2018
Region with no data
2018
Prevalence of child marriage in each region of Costa Rica in 2018
The map shows the prevalence of child marriage (before age 18) across Costa Rica. Data refer to 2018, the latest year with available data.
The practice is most common in Puntarenas (34%), Limón (31%), Guanacaste (24%), and Alajuela (18%).
Show data table
| Year | Alajuela | Cartago | Guanacaste | Heredia | Limón | Puntarenas | San José |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18.3% | 11.3% | 24.2% | 8.7% | 30.7% | 33.8% | 9.9% |
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How does Costa Rica compare to other countries?
Prevalence of child marriage
- Costa Rica
The line chart shows the prevalence of child marriage (before age 18) in Costa Rica from 1993 to 2018.
In Costa Rica, 22% of girls in 1993 married before age 18, compared with 17% in 2018, which is the latest available value.
Residence
Child marriage prevalence
Review the data to find if girls living in rural areas are more likely to marry in childhood than girls in urban areas
The bubble chart shows the prevalence of child marriage (before age 18) disaggregated by residence in Costa Rica. Data refer to the latest available year.
In Costa Rica, 17% of girls married before age 18. The prevalence is 24% of girls in rural areas, compared with 15% in urban areas.
For more data related to child marriage, please see the child marriage country profiles available on the UNICEF Data website
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Where does child marriage occur?
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