2015 Nutrition Country Profile                                                                                                                              www.globalnutritionreport.org
                                     COSTA RICA
           ECONOMICS AND DEMOGRAPHY
           POVERTY RATES AND GDP                                                           UNDER-5 MORTALITY RATE                                                          INCOME INEQUALITY
                                                                                                                                                                             Gini index score*        Gini index rank†                Year
               US$1.25/day (%)           US$2/day (%)            GDP per capita                      Deaths per 1,000 live births
                                                                 PPP ($)                           10            10            10            10            10                         49                      124                     2012
                                                                                                                                                                           Source: World Bank 2015.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                † 
                                              13,162      13,427                                                                                                           Notes: *0 = perfect equality, 100 = perfect inequality.  The countries with a 
                                12,694                                     13,713                                                                                          Gini index are ranked from most equal (#1) to most unequal (#145).
                                                                                                                                                                           POPULATION
                                                                                                                                                                            Population (000)                              5,002           2015
                .9  2        3  .9       4   2       4   .1                                                                                                                 Under-5 population (000)                       367            2015
                2   5.       1. 2        1.  3.      1.  3
              2009         2010        2011        2012         2013        2014                                                                                            Urban (%)                                       67            2015
                                                                                                 2009          2010          2011          2012          2013               > 65 years (%)                                  15            2015
           Source: World Bank 2015.
           Note: PPP = purchasing power parity.                                            Source: UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation 2014.               Source: 2015 projections from UNPD 2013.
           CHILD ANTHROPOMETRY
           CHILD ANTHROPOMETRY                                                             PREVALENCE OF                                               CHANGES IN STUNTING PREVALENCE OVER TIME, BY WEALTH QUINTILE
            Number of children under 5 affected (000)                                      UNDER-5 STUNTING (%)
                         a
               Stunting                                  21              2008                                   8
                        a
               Wasting                                   4               2008
                            a                                                                                             6
               Overweight                                30              2008
            Percentage of children under 5 affected                                                                                                                                         Data not available
                        a
               Wasting                                   1               2008
                                 a
               Severe wasting                            NA                NA
                            a
               Overweight                                8               2008
                                  b
               Low birth weight                          7                2012                                1996      2008
                      a                        b
            Sources:   UNICEF/WHO/WB 2015;   UNICEF 2015.
            Note: NA = not available.                                                      Source: UNICEF/WHO/WB 2015.                                 Source: DHS surveys 1990−2011 adapted from Bredenkamp et al. 2014.
           ADOLESCENT AND ADULT NUTRITION STATUS
           ADOLESCENT AND ADULT ANTHROPOMETRY (% POPULATION)                                                                       MICRONUTRIENT STATUS OF POPULATION
                                      a                                                                                                                                               a
            Adolescent overweight                                                             28                2009                Women of reproductive age with anemia 
                                  a                                                                                                    Total population affected (000)                                              246                      2011
            Adolescent obesity                                                                 9                2009
                                                      b                                                                                Total population affected (%)                                                 19                      2011
            Women of reproductive age, thinness                                               NA                  NA
                                                            b                                                                                                                                  b
            Women of reproductive age, short stature                                          NA                  NA                Vitamin A deficiency in children 6–59 months old (%)                             5                       2013
                      a            b
            Sources:   WHO 2015;   DHS 2015.                                                                                                                                                        Risk of iodine-induced hyperthy-
            Note: NA = not available.                                                                                                                                                c               roidism (IIH) within 5–10 years 
                                                                                                                                    Population classification of iodine nutrition                   following introduction of iodized        1996
           METABOLIC RISK FACTORS FOR DIET-RELATED                                                                                                                                                      salt in susceptible groups
           NONCOMMUNICABLE DISEASES, 2008 (%)                                                                                                 a            b                    c
                                                                                                                                    Sources:   WHO 2015;   Stevens et al. 2015;   WHO 2004.
                   Raised blood pressure            Raised blood glucose            Raised blood cholesterol
                                                                                                                                   PREVALENCE OF ADULT OVERWEIGHT AND OBESITY, 2014 (%)
                                                                                                                                       Overweight (BMI ≥ 25)         Obesity (BMI ≥ 30)
                                        41              43                                                        45                                                                                             62
                  38                                                         37              33                                         Female                                   30
                                                                                                                                          Male                                                                59
                             10                                    10                                   10                                                            19
                                                                                                                                    Both sexes                                                                 60
                                                                                                                                                                           24
                         Both sexes                              Male                                Female
                                                                                                                                   Source: WHO 2015.
           Source: WHO 2014.                                                                                                       Note: BMI = body mass index.
                             WORLD HEALTH ASSEMBLY INDICATORS: PROGRESS AGAINST GLOBAL WHA TARGETS
                                                              a                                               b                                        a                                         b                               a
                                      Under-5 stunting                       Under-5 wasting, 2008                        Under-5 overweight                          WRA anemia, 2011                                      EBF
                                                NA                                     On course                                       NA                                    Off course                                      NA
                                       a                                                                                                       b 
                             Sources:  Definitions of progress developed by GNR’s Independent Expert Group with guidance from WHO/UNICEF;  WHO 2014.
                             Notes: Currently it is only possible to determine whether a country is on or off course for five of the six WHA targets. The year refers to the most recent data available; on/off-course calculation is based on trend data. 
                             WRA = women of reproductive age. EBF = exclusive breastfeeding. NA = not available.
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         COSTA RICA 2015 Nutrition Country Profile
         INTERVENTION COVERAGE AND CHILD-FEEDING PRACTICES
         CONTINUUM OF CARE (%)                                                RATE OF EXCLUSIVE BREASTFEEDING                    INTERVENTION COVERAGE  (%)
                                                                               OF INFANTS UNDER 6 MONTHS (%)                                                                     a
                                         a                                                                                        Severe acute malnutrition, geographic coverage           NA            NA
          Antenatal care (4+ visits), 2011                                                                                                                                b
                                                               90                                   33                            Vitamin A supplementation, full coverage                 NA            NA
                                                                                                                                                                              b
                                                                                                                                  Children under 5 with diarrhea receiving ORS             40           2011
                                        a
          Skilled attendant at birth, 2011                                                                                                                     b
                                                                    99                                                            Immunization coverage, DTP3                              95           2013
                                                                                                                                                          b
                                                                                                                                  Iodized salt consumption                                 NA            NA
                                                                 a
          Initiation of breastfeeding within 1 hour after birth, 2011                                                                     a                                                      b
                                             60                                                                                   Sources:   UNICEF/Coverage Monitoring Network/ACF International 2012;   UNICEF 2015.
                                                                                                                                  Notes: ORS = oral rehydration salts; DTP3 = 3 doses of combined diphtheria/tetanus/
                                                                                                                                  pertussis vaccine. NA = not available.
                                                 a
          Continued breastfeeding at 1 year, 2011
                                          55                                                                                     INFANT AND YOUNG-CHILD FEEDING PRACTICES (% 6–23 MONTHS)
                                                                        b                                                         Minimum acceptable diet                         NA                  NA
                                    Unmet need for family planning, 2011
                                                                   8                              2011                            Minimum dietary diversity                       NA                  NA
                                                                                                                                  Source: UNICEF 2015.
                 a             b
         Sources:   UNICEF 2015;   UNPD 2015.                                 Source: UNICEF 2015.                                Note: NA = not available.
         UNDERLYING DETERMINANTS
         FOOD SUPPLY                                                                           GENDER-RELATED DETERMINANTS                                         FEMALE SECONDARY 
                                                                                                                                      a                            EDUCATION ENROLLMENT (%)
                               a                                                                Early childbearing: births by age 18 (%)    9        2010
             Undernourishment            Available calories        Availability of fruits and 
                                                         a                    b
             (%): data for 1991,         from nonstaples  (%):     vegetables  (grams):                                        b
             2000, 2010, 2015            data for 1991, 2000,      data for 1990, 2000,         Gender Inequality Index (score*)          0.344      2013                                                 113
                                         2009, 2012                2010, 2011                                                        b                                 100      102      104     106
                               541                                                              Gender Inequality Index (country rank)      63       2013
               499                                                                                      a            b
                    66             65              66                                           Sources:   UNICEF 2015;   UNDP 2014.
                                                           469                                  Note: *0 = low inequality, 1 = high inequality.
                                              435
                                                                                               POPULATION DENSITY OF HEALTH WORKERS 
                                                                                               PER 1,000 PEOPLE
                                                                                                Physicians                              1.113        2013
                5              5               5                                                Nurses and midwives                     0.771        2013
                1991            2000           2010            2012            2015             Community health workers                 NA           NA               2009    2010     2011     2012    2013
                                                                                                Source: WHO 2015.
                a              b
         Source:   FAOSTAT 2015;   FAOSTAT 2014.                                                Note: NA = not available.                                          Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics 2015.
                                                                                                                                                  GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURES (%)
              IMPROVED DRINKING WATER COVERAGE (%)                            IMPROVED SANITATION COVERAGE (%)                                        Health           Social protection
                     Piped on premises         Unimproved                            Improved facilities       Unimproved facilities                  Education        Agriculture
                     Other improved            Surface water                         Shared facilities         Open defecation
                     4    3              3   2             1 1 1                     2    6             1    4              1 4                                                          8.1             7.8
                       10                  5                                            4                  4                                                            3.4
                                                                                                                                                                                        13.5             13.8
                                                             97                                                              95                                         21.4
                       83                 90                                           88                 91
                                                                                                                                                                                        34.7             36.2
                                                                                                                                                     2.1 4.1           25.5
                      1990               2000               2015                      1990               2000               2015                       11.4
                                                                                                                                                        2.1             1.8              3.4             5.5
              Source: WHO/UNICEF JMP 2015.                                    Source: WHO/UNICEF JMP 2015.                                             1990            2000             2010            2012
              Note: Due to rounding, numbers might not add up to 100.         Note: Due to rounding, numbers might not add up to 100.
                                                                                                                                                  Source: IFPRI 2015.
         FINANCIAL RESOURCES AND POLICY, LEGISLATION, AND INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS
         SCALING UP NUTRITION (SUN) COUNTRY                                   POLICY AND LEGISLATIVE PROVISIONS                                                    AVAILABILITY AND STAGE OF 
         INSTITUTIONAL TRANSFORMATIONS, 2014 (%)                               National implementation of the International                                        IMPLEMENTATION OF GUIDELINES/
                                                                                                                           a           Law              2014       PROTOCOLS/STANDARDS FOR THE 
          Bringing people into a shared space for action            17         Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes 
                                                                                                                  b                                                MANAGEMENT OF NCDs
                                                                               Extent of constitutional right to food                 Medium            2003
          Ensuring a coherent policy and legal framework            20                                              c                                               Diabetes          Available, fully   2010
                                                                               Maternity protection (Convention 183)                    Yes             2011                          implemented
          Aligning actions around a common results framework        28                                     d
                                                                               Wheat fortification legislation                      Mandatory           2015                          Available, fully 
                                                                    19         Undernutrition mentioned in national develop-                           2015–        Hypertension      implemented        2010
          Financial tracking and resource mobilization                                                                    e        Rank: 59/126
                                                                               ment plans and economic growth strategies                                2018        Source: WHO 2014.
          Total weighted                                            21         Overnutrition mentioned in national develop-                            2015–        Note: NCDs = noncommunicable diseases.
                                                                                                                          e        Rank: 50/116
                                                                               ment plans and economic growth strategies                                2018
         Source: SUN 2014.
                                                                                       a            b          c         d        e
                                                                               Sources:   UNICEF 2014;   FAO 2003;   ILO 2013;   FFI 2015;   IDS 2015.
         For complete source information: http://globalnutritionreport.org/the-report/technical-notes.                                                    © 2015 International Food Policy Research Institute
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