Costa Rica
Countdown Indicators Breakdown
The Food Systems Countdown Initiative (FSCI) is a collaborative interdisciplinary effort to monitor global food systems. The Countdown developed a framework that includes five themes: (1) diets, nutrition, and health; (2) environment, natural resources, and production; (3) livelihoods, poverty, and equity; (4) governance; and (5) resilience and identified 50 indicators across these themes. This page presents national level data for these 50 indicators for Costa Rica.
Costa Rica income group: Upper Middle Income
Comparison
Costa Rica
Central America
World
Diets, Nutrition, and Health
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Costa Rica
4.27
Central America
4.05
World
3.36
PPP dollar/capita/day
Cost of a healthy diet
4.27 PPP dollar/capita/day
Per-person cost of the least expensive locally available foods to meet daily needs, based on food-based dietary guidelines
2022
Source FAOSTAT
Costa Rica
16%
Central America
36%
World
25%
Percent of the population who cannot afford a healthy diet
16%
Costa Rica
254.9
Central America
248
World
162.3
g/capita/day
Availability of fruits
254.9 g/capita/day
Amount of fruits—an underconsumed yet highly nutritious food group—available in a country’s food supply per capita per day
2022
Source FAOSTAT
Costa Rica
210.8
Central America
167.4
World
338.1
g/capita/day
Availability of vegetables
210.8 g/capita/day
Amount of vegetables—an underconsumed yet highly nutritious food group—available in a country’s food supply per capita per day
2022
Source FAOSTAT
Costa Rica
80%
Central America
46%
World
68%
Percent of the population using safely managed drinking water services (SDG 6.1.1)
80%
Share of the population that gets drinking water from an improved source, providing the clean water essential for food security (SDG 6.1.1)
2022
Costa Rica
572.4
Central America
365.8
World
342.8
USD/capita
Retail value (total sales) of ultra-processed foods per capita
572.4 USD/capita
Annual perperson sales of ultra-processed foods, which are known to be associated with poor health outcomes
2023
Costa Rica
71%
Central America
84%
World
66%
MDD-W: Minimum dietary diversity for women (SDG 2.2.4)
71%
Share of women who consumed at least the minimum recommended food groups the previous day, which makes it more likely they consume adequate micronutrients
2023
Costa Rica
41%
Central America
54%
World
39%
All-5: Consumption of all five food groups
41%
Share of the adult population consuming all five food groups typically recommended for daily consumption
2023
Costa Rica
3.4
Central America
4.7
World
3.8
NCD-Protect
3.4
Average score for adults on an indicator of dietary practices protective against noncommunicable diseases, like eating enough fiber, on a scale from 0 to 9
2023
Costa Rica
3.4
Central America
2.9
World
2.1
NCD-Risk
3.4
Average score for adults on an indicator of dietary practices known to raise the risk of noncommunicable diseases, like eating too much sugar, on a scale from 0 to 9
2023
Costa Rica
12%
Central America
5%
World
11%
Adults: Zero fruit or vegetable consumption
12%
Share of adults who did not consume any fruits or vegetables the previous day
2023
Costa Rica
38%
Central America
40%
World
19%
Adults: Soft drink consumption
38%
Share of adults who consumed a sugar-sweetened soft drink, which are generally known to be unhealthy, during the previous day
2023
Costa Rica
0%
Central America
9%
World
45%
Prevalence of undernourishment (SDG 2.1.1)
0%
Share of the population that goes hungry—that is, lacks enough calories for a healthy, active life (SDG 2.1.1)
2023
Source FAOSTAT
Costa Rica
16%
Central America
41%
World
33%
Percent population experiencing moderate or severe food insecurity (SDG 2.1.2)
16%
Share of the population experiencing food insecurity, measured according to the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) (SDG 2.1.2)
2023
Source FAOSTAT
Costa Rica
76%
Central America
61%
World
32%
MDD (IYCF): Minimum dietary diversity for infants and young children
76%
Share of young children who consumed at least the minimum recommended food groups the previous day, which makes it more likely they consume adequate micronutrients
2018
Source UNICEF
Costa Rica
10
Central America
20
World
39
% population 6-23 months
Children (6-23 months): Zero fruit or vegetable consumption
10% population 6-23 months
Share of young children who did not consume any fruits or vegetables the previous day
2018
Source UNICEF
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Environment, Natural Resources, and Production
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Costa Rica
32%
Central America
50%
World
63%
Cropland nitrogen use efficiency
32%
Costa Rica
0.4
Central America
0.3
World
0.5
tonnes/ha
Cereals yield
0.4 tonnes/ha
Yield, or production per unit area (tonnes per hectare)—an indicator of how efficient production is
2023
Source FAOSTAT
Costa Rica
3.5
Central America
2.1
World
1.2
tonnes/ha
Fruit yield
3.5 tonnes/ha
Yield, or production per unit area (tonnes per hectare)—an indicator of how efficient production is
2023
Source FAOSTAT
Costa Rica
2.4
Central America
2.1
World
1.4
tonnes/ha
Vegetable yield
2.4 tonnes/ha
Yield, or production per unit area (tonnes per hectare)—an indicator of how efficient production is
2023
Source FAOSTAT
Costa Rica
14,154
Central America
16,254
World
30,819.5
100 g/animal
Cow's milk yield
14,154 100 g/animal
Yield, or production per animal (100 g per animal)—an indicator of how efficient production is
2023
Source FAOSTAT
Costa Rica
230
Central America
207.1
World
200.6
kg/animal
Beef yield
230 kg/animal
Yield, or production per animal (100 g per animal)—an indicator of how efficient production is
2023
Source FAOSTAT
Costa Rica
23
Central America
16.5
World
21.2
Fishery health index progress score
23
An indicator summarizing the availability and sustainability of fish, which are at risk of overfishing or environmental degradation
2021
Source Minderoo Foundation
Costa Rica
7,152.2
Central America
43,615.6
World
83,692.6
kT CO2eq
Agri-food systems greenhouse gas emissions
7,152.2 kT CO2eq
Costa Rica
0.5
Central America
0.2
World
0.2
kg CO2eq/kg product
Greenhouse gas emissions intensity for cereals (excluding rice)
0.5 kg CO2eq/kg product
Greenhouse gas emissions (kg CO2 equivalents) per kilogram produced of cereals (excluding rice)
2021
Source FAOSTAT
Costa Rica
0.6
Central America
0.8
World
1.1
kg CO2eq/kg product
Greenhouse gas emissions intensity for rice
0.6 kg CO2eq/kg product
Costa Rica
1.8
Central America
0.9
World
1
kg CO2eq/kg product
Greenhouse gas emissions intensity for cow's milk
1.8 kg CO2eq/kg product
Costa Rica
10.1
Central America
33.4
World
28.3
kg CO2eq/kg product
Greenhouse gas emissions intensity for beef
10.1 kg CO2eq/kg product
Costa Rica
1
Central America
-1
World
0
% change
Cropland area change
1% change
Average percentage change in cropland over the previous five years; expanding cropland is a major driver of biodiversity and ecosystem service loss and greenhouse gas emissions
2021
Source FSCI
Costa Rica
90
Central America
58
World
43
% agricultural land
Functional integrity: Agricultural land with minimum level of natural habitat
90% agricultural land
Percentage of agricultural land area with enough semi-natural or natural habitat, relative to the amount of cropland or rangeland, to maintain biodiversity and functioning ecosystems
2015
Source DeClerck et al. 2021
Costa Rica
2%
Central America
11%
World
17%
Agriculture water withdrawal as percent of total renewable water resources
2%
Water withdrawn for irrigation each year, as a percentage of the total renewable water resources available
2020
Source AQUASTAT
Costa Rica
17.5
Central America
6.7
World
4.6
kg/ha
Pesticide use per area of cropland
17.5 kg/ha
The use of pesticides per area of cropland (kg active ingredient per hectare); pesticide use can cause pollution and harm health
2022
Source FAOSTAT
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Livelihoods, Poverty, and Equity
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Costa Rica
4
Central America
5
World
4
% GDP
Share of agriculture in GDP (SDG 2.a.1)
4% GDP
Percentage of a country’s GDP derived from agriculture, a measure of the level of economic development of the country
2022
Source FAOSTAT
Costa Rica
8
Central America
3
World
4
% working age population
Unemployment rate (Rural)
8% working age population
Costa Rica
8
Central America
12
World
7
% working age population
Underemployment rate (Rural)
8% working age population
Percentage of working-age people in rural areas who are underemployed (i.e., worked fewer hours than expected)
2023
Source ILO
Costa Rica
83
Central America
50
World
58
% population
Social protection coverage
83% population
Percentage of people who live in households that benefit from social protection programs, like cash transfers and health insurance
2020
Source World Bank
Costa Rica
37
Central America
26
World
23
% welfare of beneficiary households
Social protection adequacy
37% welfare of beneficiary households
An indicator showing the extent to which social protection is sufficient to meet household needs
2020
Source World Bank
Costa Rica
3
Central America
4
World
8
% children 5-17
Percent of children 5-17 years engaged in child labor
3% children 5-17
Percentage of children ages 5–17 who are engaged in child labor, the majority of which is known to be in the food system and specifically in agriculture
2018
Source UNICEF
Central America
16
World
31
% female land owners
Share of women among owners or rights-bearers of agricultural land (SDG 5.a.1)
No Data
A measure of the share of women among owners or rights-bearers of agricultural land
Source SDG Indicators Data Portal
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Governance
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Costa Rica
0.9
Central America
0.5
World
0.6
Civil society participation index
0.9
An indicator capturing the level of participation in civil society organizations
2023
Source Varieties of Democracy
Costa Rica
20%
Central America
12%
World
11%
Percent of the urban population living in cities signed onto the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact
20%
Percentage of the urban population that lives in cities signed on to the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact, suggesting prioritization of food issues in urban planning
2023
Costa Rica
2
Central America
1.8
World
1.1
Degree of legal recognition of the right to food
Explicit protection of the right to food or directive of state policy
Costa Rica
1
Central America
0.9
World
0.6
Presence of a national food system transformation pathway
Yes
Costa Rica
0.1
Central America
-0.4
World
0
Government effectiveness index
0.1
An index capturing the perception of how effective the government is in making and enforcing policies and providing services
2022
Source World Governance Indicators
Costa Rica
80
Central America
78.8
World
69.5
Food safety capacity
80
Whether functioning mechanisms exist to detect and respond to foodborne disease issues, measured as the percentage of a set of criteria met
2020
Costa Rica
2
Central America
1.6
World
1.1
Presence of national health-related food environment policies
Regulatory
Whether the country has any health-related food environment policies, which are used to discourage consumption of unhealthy foods and beverages or encourage the consumption of healthy foods and beverages.
2023
Costa Rica
1.8
Central America
0.6
World
0.6
V-Dem accountability index
1.8
An index capturing the extent to which the government is seen as being accountable for its actions
2023
Source Varieties of Democracy
Costa Rica
63
Central America
75.3
World
43
Open budget index score
63
A score based on how easily the public can access information about how the government raises and spends money
2021
Costa Rica
1
Central America
1
World
0.7
Guarantees for public access to information (SDG 16.10.2)
Yes
Whether the country has and implements guarantees for access to information (SDG 16.10.2)
2022
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Resilience
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Costa Rica
0
Central America
0.923
World
2.252
Ratio of total damages from all disasters to GDP
0
Costa Rica
0.8
Central America
0.7
World
0.7
Dietary sourcing flexibility index
0.8
An index capturing the diversity of pathways through which food reaches consumers, indicating how difficult it is to disrupt the food supply
2019
Source
FAO
Costa Rica
152
Central America
118.1
World
110.1
Number per 100 people
Mobile cellular subscriptions
152 Number per 100 people
Number of mobile phone subscriptions as a percentage of the population, indicating the level of infrastructure and access to information to respond to shocks
2022
Costa Rica
0.4
Central America
0.3
World
0.5
Social capital index
0.4
An index for the social capital in the country—how much people feel they can trust and can rely on their government and one another
2021
Source Legatum InstituteFSCI
Costa Rica
39
Central America
28
World
25
% agricultural land
Proportion of agricultural land with minimum level of species diversity (crop and pasture)
39% agricultural land
Percentage of agricultural land (crop and pasture) containing a sufficient diversity of species, which helps cope with shocks and changes
2020
Source
Jones et al. 2021
Costa Rica
3,057
Central America
13,329.6
World
42,858.9
Number of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture secured in either medium- or long-term conservation facilities (SDG 2.5.1a)
3,057
Number of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture secured in medium- or long-term conservation facilities (SDG 2.5.1)
2022
Source FAOSTAT
Costa Rica
0
Central America
0
World
2.9
Number of animal genetic resources for food and agriculture secured in either medium- or long-term conservation facilities (SDG 2.5.1b)
0
Number of animal genetic resources for food and agriculture secured in medium- or long-term conservation facilities (SDG 2.5.1)
2024
Source FAOSTAT
Central America
0.2
World
0.2
Prevalence of severe coping strategies
No Data
Percentage of high-risk populations who need to rely on extreme strategies to cope with food insecurity
Source
WFP
Costa Rica
0.7
Central America
0.6
World
0.7
Food price volatility
0.7
Costa Rica
15
Central America
26.5
World
32.2
kcal/capita/day
Food supply variability
15 kcal/capita/day
How much the food supply (in calories per person per day) varies over time, indicating how well the food system can respond to shocks
2021
Source FAOSTAT
Less Desirable
More Desirable