Costa Rica

Waiting for the first voice

تا مرد سخن نگفته باشد / عیب و هنرش نهفته باشد
Until a man has spoken, his faults and his gifts both stay hidden.

Saadi, Gulistan, chapter I, story 3

No advice from here yet. Know an elder from this country? Your recording could be the first: 2–3 minutes on a phone.

Costa Rica abolished its army in 1948 and has had none since. (source)

A University of Costa Rica study found older men in Nicoya had a 20% lower death rate in 1990–2011 than elsewhere in the country. (source)

of people are 65 or older: 12.8%
people aged 65 or older: 657.1K
will be 65 or older in 2050: 25.3%
is how long people live after 60, on average: 24.6 years
of people 65+ live alone: 12.8%; women 13.4%, men 12.2%
of people 65+ live in collective quarters: care homes, hospitals, hostels and the like: 1.1%

Sources: World Bank, 2025; World Bank projection for 2050; WHO, 2023; UN, 2018; UN, 2011 census

12 languages, 9 of them endangered

Languages and their status: Glottolog v5.3, CC BY 4.0. Names: Wikidata.

List and years: ich.unesco.org

Record their advice in their native language: 2–3 minutes on a phone.