Demographics of Costa Rica

Demographics of Costa Rica
Population	4,579,000

This article is about the demographic features of the population of Costa Rica, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.

According to the United Nations, in 2009 Costa Rica has an estimated population of 4,579,000 people. Together, whites and mestizos make up a 94% of the population, 3% are black people, 1% Amerindians, 1% Asians, and 1% other. By 2016, the estimated population was 4.87 million.^[1]

In 2010, just under 3% of the population is of black African descent who are called Afro-Costa Ricans or West Indians and are English-speaking descendants of 19th-century black Jamaican immigrant workers. Another 1% is composed of ethnic Chinese, and less than 1% are Middle Easterners, mainly of Lebanese descent but also Palestinians. The 2011 Census provided the following data: 83.6% whites or mestizos, 6.7% mulattoes, 2.4% Native American, 1.1% black or Afro-Caribbean; the census showed 1.1% as Other, 2.9% (141,304 people) as None, and 2.2% (107,196 people) as unspecified.^[2] By 2016, most sources were estimating a population of nearly 4.9 million.^[2]

There is also a community of North American retirees from the United States and Canada, followed by fairly large numbers of European Union expatriates (esp. Scandinavians and from Germany) come to retire as well, and Australians. Immigration to Costa Rica made up 9% of the population in 2012. This included permanent settlers as well as migrants who were hoping to reach the U.S.^[3]. In 2015, there were some 420,000 immigrants in Costa Rica^[4] and the number of asylum seekers (mostly from Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua) rose to more than 110,000.^[5] An estimated 10% of the Costa Rican population in 2014 was made up of Nicaraguans.^[6]

The indigenous population today numbers about 60,000 (just over 1% of the population) with some Miskito and Garifuna (a population of mixed black African and Carib Indian descent) living in the coastal regions.

Costa Rica's emigration is the smallest in the Caribbean Basin and is among the smallest in the Americas. By 2015 about just 133,185 (2,77%) of the country's people live in another country as immigrants. The main destination countries are the United States (85,924), Nicaragua (10,772), Panama (7,760), Canada (5,039), Spain (3,339), Mexico (2,464), Germany (1,891), Italy (1,508), Guatemala (1,162) and Venezuela (1,127). ^[7]

Population and ancestry

Costa Rican Censuses
Year	Population	%±
1864	120,499	—
1883	182,073	51.1
1892	243,205	33.6
1927	471,524	93.9
1950	800,875	69.8
1963	1,336,274	66.9
1973	1,871,780	40.1
1984	2,416,809	29.1
2000	3,810,179	57.7
2011	4,301,712	12.9

In 2009, Costa Rica had a population of 4,579,000. The population is increasing at a rate of 1.5% per year. At current trends the population will increase to 9,158,000 in about 46 years.^[8] The population density is 94 people per square km, the third highest in Central America.

Approximately 40% lived in rural areas and 60% in urban areas. The rate of urbanization estimated for the period 2005–2015 is 2.74% per annum,^[9] one of the highest among developing countries. About 75% of the population live in the upper lands (above 500 meters) where temperature is cooler and milder.

The 2011 census counted a population of 4.3 million people^[10] distributed among the following groups: 83.6% whites or mestizos, 6.7% mulattoes, 2.4% Native American, 1.1% black or Afro-Caribbean; the census showed 1.1% as Other, 2.9% (141,304 people) as None, and 2.2% (107,196 people) as unspecified.^[2] By 2016, most sources were estimating a population of nearly 4.9 million.^[11]

In 2011, there were over 104,000 Native American or indigenous inhabitants, representing 2.4% of the population. Most of them live in secluded reservations, distributed among eight ethnic groups: Quitirrisí (in the Central Valley), Matambú or Chorotega (Guanacaste), Maleku (northern Alajuela), Bribri (southern Atlantic), Cabécar (Cordillera de Talamanca), Guaymí (southern Costa Rica, along the Panamá border), Boruca (southern Costa Rica) and Térraba (southern Costa Rica).

The population includes European Costa Ricans (of European ancestry), primarily of Spanish descent,^[12] with significant numbers of Italian, German, English, Dutch, French, Irish, Portuguese, and Polish families, as well a sizable Jewish community. The majority of the Afro-Costa Ricans are Creole English-speaking descendants of 19th century black Jamaican immigrant workers.

The 2011 census classified 83.6% of the population as white or Mestizo; the latter are persons of combined European and Amerindian descent. The Mulatto segment (mix of white and black) represented 6.7% and indigenous people made up 2.4% of the population.^[12] Native and European mixed blood populations are far less than in other Latin American countries. Exceptions are Guanacaste, where almost half the population is visibly mestizo, a legacy of the more pervasive unions between Spanish colonists and Chorotega Amerindians through several generations, and Limón, where the vast majority of the Afro-Costa Rican community lives.

Province	Province population	City	City population
San José Province	1,345,750	San Jose	350,535
Alajuela Province	716,286	Alajuela	46,554
Cartago Province	432,395	Cartago	156,600
Puntarenas Province	357,483	Puntarenas	102,504
Heredia Province	354,732	Heredia	42,600
Limón Province	339,395	Puerto Limon	105,000
Guanacaste Province	264,238	Liberia	98,751

Education

According to the United Nations, Costa Rica's literacy rate stands at 95.8%,^[13] the fifth highest among American countries. Costa Rica's Education Index in 2006 was 0.882; higher than that of richer countries, such as Singapore and Mexico. Costa Rica's gross enrolment ratio is 73.0%, smaller than that of the neighbors countries of El Salvador and Honduras.^[14]

All students must complete primary school and secondary school, between 6 and 15 years. Some students drop out because they must work to help support their families. In 2007 there were 536,436 pupils enrolled in 3,771 primary schools and 377,900 students attended public and private secondary schools.^[15]

Costa Rica's main universities are the University of Costa Rica, in San Pedro and the National University of Costa Rica, in Heredia. Costa Rica also has several small private universities.

Emigration

Costa Rica's emigration is among the smallest in the Caribbean Basin. About 3% of the country's people live in another country as immigrants. The main destination countries are the United States, Spain, Mexico and other Central American countries. In 2005, there were 127,061 Costa Ricans living in another country as immigrants. Remittances were $513,000,000 in 2006 and they represented 2.3% of the country's GDP.

Immigration

Costa Rica's immigration is among the largest in the Caribbean Basin. According to the 2011 census 385,899 residents were born abroad.^[16] The vast majority were born in Nicaragua (287,766). Other countries of origin were Colombia (20,514), United States (16,898), Spain (16,482) and Panama (11,250). Outward Remittances were $246,000,000 in 2006.

Migrants

According to the World Bank, about 489,200 migrants lived in the country in 2010 mainly from Nicaragua, Panama, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, and Belize, while 125,306 Costa Ricans live abroad in the United States, Panama, Nicaragua, Spain, Mexico, Canada, Germany, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, and Ecuador.^[17] The number of migrants declined in later years but in 2015, there were some 420,000 immigrants in Costa Rica^[18] and the number of asylum seekers (mostly from Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua) rose to more than 110,000, a fivefold increase from 2012.^[19] In 2016, the country was called a "magnet" for migrants from South and Central America and other countries who were hoping to reach the U.S.^[20][21]

Ethnic groups

The following listing is taken from a publication of the Costa Rica 2011 Census:^[22]

• Mestizos and Whites - 3 597 847 = 83.64%
• Mulatto - 289 209 = 6.72%
• Indigenous - 104 143 = 2.42%
• Black/Afro-Caribbean - 45 228 = 1.05%
• Chinese/Asian - 9 170 = 0.21%
• Other - 36 334 = 0.84%
• Did not state - 95 140 = 2.21%

Vital statistics^[23][24]

	Average population (x 1000)	Live births	Deaths	Natural change	Crude birth rate (per 1000)	Crude death rate (per 1000)	Natural change (per 1000)	TFR
1934	558	23 858	10 020	13 838	44.2	18.6	25.6
1935	572	24 934	12 630	12 304	45.2	22.9	22.3
1936	585	25 450	11 811	13 639	45.2	21.0	24.2
1937	599	25 624	11 032	14 592	44.5	19.2	25.3
1938	615	26 839	10 422	16 417	45.5	17.7	27.8
1939	631	27 027	11 687	15 340	44.7	19.3	25.4
1940	648	28 004	11 211	16 793	45.3	18.1	27.2
1941	664	28 823	11 429	17 394	45.5	18.1	27.4
1942	680	28 263	13 559	14 704	43.7	21.0	22.7
1943	697	30 468	11 734	18 734	46.1	17.7	28.4
1944	716	29 935	11 295	18 640	44.2	16.7	27.5
1945	736	32 529	10 768	21 761	46.8	15.5	31.3
1946	759	32 159	9 971	22 188	45.0	13.9	31.1
1947	787	32 600	10 967	21 633	44.7	14.9	29.8
1948	808	35 956	10 666	25 290	44.5	13.2	31.3
1949	832	36 774	10 566	26 208	44.2	12.7	31.5
1950	966	39 943	10 480	29 463	41.3	10.8	30.5
1951	994	43 068	10 390	32 678	43.3	10.5	32.9
1952	1 025	45 816	10 672	35 144	44.7	10.4	34.3
1953	1 058	45 697	11 353	34 344	43.2	10.7	32.5
1954	1 093	48 857	10 681	38 176	44.7	9.8	34.9
1955	1 129	49 800	11 000	39 269	44.1	9.7	34.8
1956	1 167	51 350	10 476	40 874	44.0	9.0	35.1
1957	1 206	52 860	11 544	41 316	43.9	9.6	34.3
1958	1 246	53 919	10 608	43 311	43.3	8.5	34.8
1959	1 289	57 801	11 160	46 641	44.8	8.7	36.2
1960	1 334	59 701	11 035	48 666	44.8	8.3	36.5
1961	1 382	60 641	10 644	49 997	43.9	7.7	36.2
1962	1 431	60 750	11 953	48 797	42.5	8.4	34.1
1963	1 482	62 821	12 519	50 302	42.4	8.5	34.0
1964	1 533	61 870	13 527	48 343	40.4	8.8	31.6
1965	1 583	62 400	12 814	49 586	39.4	8.1	31.3
1966	1 633	62 330	11 403	50 927	38.2	7.0	31.2
1967	1 681	61 229	11 289	49 940	36.4	6.7	29.7
1968	1 729	60 902	10 653	50 249	35.2	6.2	29.1
1969	1 776	59 636	11 599	48 037	33.6	6.5	27.1
1970	1 822	59 557	11 504	48 053	32.7	6.3	26.4
1971	1 867	58 138	10 575	47 563	31.2	5.7	25.5
1972	1 911	59 274	10 855	48 419	31.0	5.7	25.4
1973	1 956	58 177	9 702	48 475	29.8	5.0	24.8
1974	2 002	57 749	9 512	48 237	28.9	4.8	24.1
1975	2 052	59 175	9 615	49 560	28.9	4.7	24.2
1976	2 105	60 668	9 356	51 312	28.8	4.4	24.4
1977	2 162	64 190	8 907	55 283	29.7	4.1	25.6
1978	2 222	67 722	8 625	59 097	30.5	3.9	26.6
1979	2 284	69 318	9 143	60 175	30.4	4.0	26.4
1980	2 348	70 048	9 268	61 780	29.8	3.9	26.3
1981	2 415	72 294	8 990	63 304	30.0	3.7	26.2
1982	2 483	73 168	9 168	64 000	29.5	3.7	25.8
1983	2 554	72 944	9 432	63 536	28.6	3.7	24.9
1984	2 626	76 878	9 931	66 217	29.0	3.8	25.2
1985	2 699	84 337	10 493	73 841	31.3	3.9	27.4
1986	2 773	83 194	10 449	72 745	30.0	3.8	26.3
1987	2 848	80 326	10 687	69 639	28.2	3.8	24.5
1988	2 924	81 376	10 944	70 432	27.8	3.7	24.1
1989	3 001	83 460	11 272	72 188	27.8	3.8	24.1
1990	3 079	81 939	11 366	70 573	26.6	3.7	22.9
1991	3 156	81 110	11 792	69 318	25.7	3.7	22.0
1992	3 234	80 164	12 253	67 911	24.8	3.8	21.0
1993	3 312	79 714	12 544	67 170	24.1	3.8	20.3
1994	3 394	80 391	13 313	67 078	23.7	3.9	19.8
1995	3 478	80 306	14 061	66 245	23.1	4.0	19.0
1996	3 567	79 203	13 993	65 210	22.2	3.9	18.3
1997	3 658	78 018	14 260	63 758	21.3	3.9	17.4
1998	3 751	76 982	14 708	62 274	20.5	3.9	16.6
1999	3 842	78 526	15 052	63 474	20.4	3.9	16.5
2000	3 930	78 178	14 944	63 234	19.9	3.8	16.1
2001	4 013	76 401	15 608	60 793	19.0	3.9	15.1
2002	4 094	71 144	15 004	56 140	17.4	3.7	13.7
2003	4 171	72 938	15 800	57 138	17.5	3.8	13.7
2004	4 246	72 247	15 949	56 298	17.0	3.8	13.3
2005	4 320	71 548	16 139	55 409	16.6	3.7	12.8
2006	4 392	71 291	16 766	54 525	16.2	3.8	12.4
2007	4 463	73 144	17 071	56 073	16.4	3.8	12.6
2008	4 533	75 187	18 021	57 166	16.6	4.0	12.6
2009	4 601	75 000	18 560	56 440	16.2	4.0	12.2	1.974
2010	4 670	70 922	19 077	51 845	15.5	4.2	11.4	1.810
2011	4 738	73 459	18 801	54 658	15.9	4.1	11.8	1.870
2012	4 652	73 326	19 200	54 126	15.7	4.1	11.6	1.880
2013	4 713	70 550	19 647	50 903	15.0	4.2	10.8	1.760
2014	4 773	71 793	20 553	51 240	15.0	4.3	10.7	1.77
2015	4 832	71 819	21 039	50 780	14.9	4.3	10.6	1.75
2016	4 890	70 004	22 603	47 401	14.3	4.6	9.7

Structure of the population^[25]

Structure of the population (01.07.2013) (Estimates - the source of data is the national household survey):

Age Group	Male	Female	Total	%
Total	2 292 438	2 425 243	4 717 681	100
0-4	150 283	145 961	296 244	6,28
5-9	176 081	156 423	332 504	7,05
10-14	195 708	196 136	391 844	8,31
15-19	222 594	217 301	439 895	9,32
20-24	218 828	215 580	434 408	9,21
25-29	197 545	194 367	391 912	8,31
30-34	160 768	177 763	338 531	7,18
35-39	138 888	155 834	294 722	6,25
40-44	145 992	161 421	307 413	6,52
45-49	142 482	166 117	308 599	6,54
50-54	156 458	164 848	321 306	6,81
55-59	114 470	127 144	241 614	5,12
60-64	82 167	97 904	180 071	3,82
65-69	62 361	75 530	137 891	2,92
70-74	45 537	57 488	103 025	2,18
75-79	38 844	48 878	83 722	1,77
80-84	25 656	33 631	59 287	1,26
85-89	12 321	17 721	30 042	0,64
90-94	4 745	10 670	15 415	0,33
95+	1 710	2 368	4 078	0,09
unknown	3 000	2 158	5 158	0,11

Age group	Male	Female	Total	Percent
0-14	522 072	498 520	1 020 592	21,63
15-64	1 580 192	1 676 121	3 256 313	69,02
65+	187 174	248 444	435 618	9,23

Languages

Nearly all Costa Ricans speak Spanish; but many blacks speak a traditional Jamaican dialect of English, also a few of the Natives speak their own language, such as the case of the Ngobes.

Religions

According to the World Factbook the main religions are: Roman Catholic, 76.3%; Evangelical, 13.7%; Jehovah's Witnesses, 1.3%; other Protestant, 0.7%; other, 4.8%; none, 3.2%.

The most recent nationwide survey of religion in Costa Rica, conducted in 2007 by the University of Costa Rica, found that 70.5 percent of the population identify themselves as Roman Catholics (with 44.9 percent practicing, 25.6 percent nonpracticing), 13.8 percent are Evangelical Protestants, 11.3 percent report that they do not have a religion, and 4.3 percent declare that they belong to another religion.^[28]

Apart from the dominant Catholic religion, there are several other religious groups in the country.^[28] Methodist, Lutheran, Episcopal, Baptist, and other Protestant groups have significant membership.^[28] The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) claim more than 35,000 members and has a temple in San Jose that served as a regional worship center for Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua, and Honduras.^[28][29]

Although they represent less than 1 percent of the population, Jehovah's Witnesses have a strong presence on the Caribbean coast.^[28] Seventh-day Adventists operate a university that attracts students from throughout the Caribbean Basin.^[28] The Unification Church maintains its continental headquarters for Latin America in San Jose.^[28]

Non-Christian religious groups, including followers of Judaism, Islam, Taoism, Hare Krishna, Paganism, Wicca, Scientology, Tenrikyo, and the Bahá'í Faith, claim membership throughout the country, with the majority of worshipers residing in the Central Valley (the area of the capital).^[28] While there is no general correlation between religion and ethnicity, indigenous peoples are more likely to practice animism than other religions.^[28]

Article 75 of the Costa Rican Constitution states that the "Catholic, Apostolic, and Roman Religion is the official religion of the Republic".^[30] That same article provides for freedom of religion, and the Government generally respects this right in practice.^[28] The US government found no reports of societal abuses or discrimination based on religious belief or practice in 2007.^[28]

Demographic statistics

The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook^[31]

Nationality

• noun: Costa Rican(s)
• adjective: Costa Rican

Population

• 4,872,543 (July 2016 est.)

Languages

• Spanish (official)
• English

Ethnic groups

• Mestizos and whites 83.6%
• Mulato 6.7%
• Indigenous 2.4%
• Black of African descent 1.1%
• Other 1.1%
• None 2.9%
• Unspecified 2.2% (2011 est.)

Religions

• Roman Catholic 76.3%
• Evangelical 13.7%
• Jehovah's Witnesses 1.3%
• Other Protestant 0.7%
• Other 4.8%
• None 3.2%

Median age

• Total: 30.9 years
• Male: 30.4 years
• Female: 31.3 years (2016 est.)

Sex ratio

• At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
• 0–14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
• 15–24 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
• 25–54 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
• 55–64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
• 65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female
• Total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2016 est.)

Infant mortality rate

• Total: 8.3 deaths/1,000 live births
• Male: 9 deaths/1,000 live births
• Female: 7.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2016 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

• Total population: 78.6 years
• Male: 75.9 years
• Female: 81.4 years (2016 est.)

HIV/AIDS

Adult prevalence rate: 0.33%

People living with HIV/AIDS: 10,000

Deaths:200 (2015 est.)

Literacy

• Total population: 97.8%
• Male: 97.7%
• Female: 97.8% (2015 est.)

See also

• Ethnic groups in Central America

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the CIA World Factbook document "2006 edition".

External links

• UNICEF Information about Costa Rica's Demographics
• INEC. National Institute of Statistics and Census (in Spanish)