Demographics of Costa Rica
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In 2005, Costa Rica had an estimated population of 4,016,173 persons. The majority of people in Costa Rica are descended from Spanish settlers and Amerindian peoples. In contrast to most neighboring Central American nations, the Spanish component is rather strong in Costa Ricans at approx. 60%, while the indigenous component oscilates at approx. 40% (similar to Chileans). Most Costa Ricans are either primarily Spanish or of mixed heritage (Mestizo). In addition, there are significant numbers of Costa Ricans of Italian, German, Jewish, and Polish descent. Together, Mestizos and European descendants make up a full 94% of the population. Just under 3% of the population is of black African descent who are called Afro-Costa Ricans and a few are of English-speaking descendants of 19th century black Jamaican immigrant workers. Another 1% is composed of ethnic Chinese.
As of today, the indigenous population numbers around 1.7%, or around 55000 individuals. In Guanacaste Province, a significant portion of the population descends from a mix of local Amerindians, Africans and Spaniards. There is also a small expatriate community of American and Canadian retirees.
The indigenous population today numbers about 29,000 or less than 1% of the population. Descendants of 19th century Jamaican immigrant workers constitute an English-speaking minority and -- at 3% of the population -- number about 96,000. An important and growing community in Costa Rica are Nicaraguans who represent 10% of the population. Most of these Nicaraguans are refugees from the Sandinista regime that existed in Nicaragua from 1979-1990.
The main migrants were once those of Spanish, German, Polish, Italian, and Jewish ancestry, but today there is a growing number of Amerindian people who migrate for seasonal work opportunities as agricultural workers. There is also a growing number of Colombian, Panamanian and Peruvian refugees who call Costa Rica home, an example of Costa Rica's hospitality and peaceful government in Latin America. Moreover, Costa Rica took in lots of refugees from a range of other Latin American countries fleeing civil wars and dictatorships during the 1970s and 80s - notably from Chile, Argentina, Honduras and El Salvador. There are also many Americans who retire or come to live in Costa Rica.
[edit] Demographic data from the CIA World Factbook
[edit] Population
- 4,075,261 (July 2006 est.)
[edit] Age structure
- 0-14 years: 28.3% (male 590,261/female 563,196)
- 15-64 years: 66% (male 1,359,750/female 1,329,346)
- 65 years and over: 5.7% (male 108,041/female 124,667) (2006 est.)
[edit] Median age
- Total: 26.4 years
- Male: 26 years
- Female: 26.9 years (2006 est.)
[edit] Population growth rate
- 1.45% (2006 est.)
[edit] Birth rate
- 18.32 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
[edit] Death rate
- 4.36 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
[edit] Net migration rate
- 0.49 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
[edit] Sex ratio
- At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
- Under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
- 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female
- Total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
[edit] Infant mortality rate
- Total: 9.7 deaths/1,000 live births
- Male: 10.58 deaths/1,000 live births
- Female: 8.77 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
[edit] Life expectancy at birth
- Total population: 77.02 years
- Male: 74.43 years
- Female: 79.74 years (2006 est.)
[edit] Total fertility rate
- 2.24 children born/woman (2006 est.)
[edit] HIV/AIDS
- Adult prevalence rate: 0.6% (2003 est.)
- People living with HIV/AIDS: 12,000 (2003 est.)
- Deaths: 900 (2003 est.)
[edit] Nationality
- Noun: Costa Rican(s)
- Adjective: Costa Rican
[edit] Ethnic groups
- whites 78%, mestizos 16%, black 3%, Amerindian 1%, Chinese 1%, other 1%
[edit] Religions
- See also: Roman Catholicism in Costa Rica
- Roman Catholic 76.3%, Evangelical 13.7%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.3%, other Protestant 0.7%, other 4.8%, none 3.2%
[edit] Languages
- Spanish (official), English
[edit] Literacy
- Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
- Total population: 96%
- Male: 95.9%
- Female: 96.1% (2003 est.)
[edit] References
This article contains material from the CIA World Factbook (2006 edition) which, as a US government publication, is in the public domain.
