For 5 decades the Government and people of Costa Rica prioritized family planning services as a way to promote healthier pregnancies and births, reduce high maternal and child mortality, and respond to individuals’ and couples’ desires to plan and space their children.

Overview

• Costa Rica is one of the early family planning successes in the region of Latin America and the Caribbean, as programs reached all levels of society with high quality.
• The three-way partnership between the Government of Costa Rica, USAID, and non-governmental organizations led to an increase in modern contraceptive use between 1970 and 2015. This is evidence that women and couples prefer smaller families that have been spaced to provide the healthiest outcomes for both mother and child.
• As modern contraceptive use increased, deaths among infants and children under age 5 declined more than 40 percent. Maternal death rates remain stable and are among the lowest in the region. The rate of maternal deaths indicates that Costa Rica has achieved its 2015 Millennium Challenge Goal target.