The Aging Population in Costa Rica and the Importance of Lifelong Learning

Fostering lifelong learning is a means of addressing some of those implications, and in fact Costa Rica has made strides in creating learning opportunities targeted specifically for older adults. In particular, Programa Institucional para la Persona Adulta y Adulta Mayor strives to promote older adult’s right to access education as well as the development of intergenerational communities. But first, a look at certain characteristics and trends impacting the country can provide appropriate context.

Costa Rica’s Aging Population

Life expectancy at birth in Costa Rica is 75.5 years for men and 81 years for women.¹³ However, it is relevant to analyze disability-free life expectancy as well, given that it is often a more reliable indicator of a population's health situation. A research team at the University of Costa Rica points out that at age 65, life expectancy free of disability — that is, the number of years a person lives without requiring a certain level of physically enabling services and supports — is 12.8 years for men and 10.5 years for women. In general, 35 percent of individuals over 65 report having a disability — a percentage that increases with age.² 

Regarding the economic status of older Costa Ricans, in 2019, 68.2 percent had a pension and 23 percent lived in poverty.¹⁴ By 2020, poverty increased by 22 percent for metropolitan areas and by 34.3 percent for rural areas.³

In the social sphere of Costa Rican society, there are a number of concepts associated with old age and the aging process. While some positive images are linked to old age, such as maturity and respect, there is also ageism, which leads to discrimination and the exclusion of the older population.² Although Costa Rica’s legal norms criminalize violence, abuse, exploitation, and neglect of older people, 43 percent of older persons report having suffered some form of violence (45 percent of men and 40 percent of women), and 9.6 percent report having suffered some form of discrimination, mainly in their family environment, their neighborhood, and public transportation.² 

Nevertheless, multiple milestones have laid the groundwork for the recognition of the rights of older Costa Ricans — some of which came at the global and regional level to inspire action while others occurred at the national level.

That foundation starts with 1949’s Political Constitution of Costa Rica, which established the duty of the State to seek the greatest welfare for all its inhabitants.⁴

Progress has continued from there. In 2016, Costa Rica ratified the Inter-American Convention on the Protection of the Human Rights of Older Adults, which includes as some of its principles the protection of human rights, dignity, participation, self-realization, physical, economic and social security, and the respect and appreciation of cultural diversity.¹⁰

Finally, in 2020, the Law Criminalizing the Abandonment of Older Adults was passed.¹¹ Consequences for abandonment under this law vary based on the severity of an infraction. Generally, a caregiver who commits abandonment of a vulnerable older adult will face either a fine or up to six months in jail. In the most severe cases, if death is the result of the abandonment, the prescribed penalty is six to ten years in prison.

Overall, this collective policy framework enabled the development of laws, institutions, and initiatives that aim to support and protect Costa Rica’s older adult population. The National Council of the Older Adult (CONAPAM) is the governing body on aging in Costa Rica, and it leads the creation and implementation of comprehensive public policies focused on older adults.¹² Simultaneously, numerous public and private organizations, institutions, and groups — including the Comprehensive Care Program for Older Adults (PAIPAM in Spanish) at Costa Rica’s Universidad Nacional, the Costa Rican Gerontological Association, and the Program for Older Adults at Costa Rica’s Universidad Estatal a Distancia — also work to provide social and educational opportunities to the older adult population.