Costa Rica stands out from other Latin American countries for having a relatively equal life expectancy throughout all the cantons of it’s Greater Metropolitan Area, 29 cantons in total. The difference in life expectancy from canton to canton varies only 3.9 years at most. In Santiago, Chile, this difference can reach up to 17 years. In Mexico City, it can vary up to 10.9 years.
These details were discovered by the Urban Health project in Latin America, from the University of Drexel. The research was published in The Lancet Planetary Health. It showed that in Costa Rica’s GAM, the average life expectancy for men is 77.8 years and for women is 82.9 years.
When broken down by canton, the lowest and highest life expectancy for men is between 74.5 and 78.5 and for women is between 81.9 and 84.9.
The educational level of inhabitants does not seem to affect life expectancy in Costa Rica but does in many other countries. This could be because Costa Rica has worked on implementing factors that reduce problems often faced by the poor. Some examples are opening local medical clinics, giving vaccines, and having drinking water in all communities.
