Costa Rica is moving quickly toward a demographic shift that will test some of the country’s biggest public systems. What was once treated as a long-term issue is now becoming a near-term challenge for pensions, health care, employment, and caregiving as the share of older adults rises and the number of younger workers falls. Recent projections show that about 11.7% of Costa Rica’s population is now 65 or older, and that by 2050 roughly one in four residents will be in that age group. In absolute numbers, that means the population over 65 is expected to grow from about 600,000 people in 2025 to around 1.33 million by mid-century.
The shift is being driven by two powerful trends at once: Costa Ricans are living longer and having fewer children. Recent official and institutional figures place life expectancy in Costa Rica at around 80 to 81 years, with projections showing it could rise above 84 by 2050. At the same time, fertility has dropped well below replacement level, with recent data putting the country’s total fertility rate near 1.33 children per woman. That combination is steadily reshaping the country’s age structure and shrinking the base of workers who support social systems.
That reality is already forcing a broader debate about how Costa Rica will support a growing older population for longer periods of time after retirement. The pressure is expected to fall heavily on the pension system, the public health network, and long-term care services, especially as the number of people over 80 continues to climb. Projections reported last year showed that by 2050 Costa Rica could have nearly 468,000 people aged 80 and older, a group more likely to need sustained care, medical follow-up, and support services.
Costa Rica has started to respond, but the pace of the demographic change is raising questions about whether the country is moving fast enough. The government already has a national healthy aging strategy in place for 2022 through 2026, focused on healthy living, functional capacity, long-term care, and stronger coordination between institutions. In June 2025, the Inter-American Development Bank approved a $250 million loan to help strengthen and expand Costa Rica’s care system for older adults, people with disabilities, and caregivers. The program is meant to improve service coverage and quality, but it also reflects how urgent the issue has become.
At the same time, the conversation is beginning to expand beyond costs and dependency. New initiatives tied to the silver economy are trying to frame aging as a social and economic opening rather than only a fiscal burden. CRUSA’s Pathways to Longevity project, backed by IDB Lab and support from the Japanese government, is aimed at developing services, businesses, and employment models for an older population that is expected to remain active longer than previous generations.
That may become one of the country’s biggest policy tests over the next decade. Costa Rica is no longer preparing for aging in the abstract. It is already entering a period in which older adults will shape demand for health care, public investment, housing, transportation, caregiving, and work. The challenge now is not simply how to pay for a longer life, but how to build a country that can function well as more of its people live far beyond traditional retirement age.
