Demographics of Costa Rica



In 2005, Costa Rica had an estimated population of 4,016,173 persons. A reported 94% of people in Costa Rica are of either European (mostly Spanish) ancestry or are of Meztizo (mixed European and indigenous ancestry). The largest city and nation's capital is San José, home to over half the nation's population. Costa Rica has long held a democratic government since 1948, a unique example of political stability in Latin America.

In addition, there are significant numbers of Costa Ricans of Italian, German, English, Dutch, French, Portuguese and Polish descent, as well a sizable Jewish community. Together, whites and mestizos 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 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.

There is also a community of North American (American and Canadian) and Australian 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 estimated 10% to 15% of the Costa Rican population is made up of Nicaraguans, most of whom migrate for seasonal work opportunities. There is also a growing number of Colombian refugees, Panamanians and Peruvians. 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 and Argentina.

Population

 * 4,075,261 (July 2006 est.)

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.)

Median age

 * Total: 26.4 years
 * Male: 26
 * Female: 26.9 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate

 * 1.45% (2006 est.)

Birth rate

 * 18.32 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate

 * 4.36 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate

 * 0.49 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

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.)

Infant mortality rate

 * Total: 9.6 deaths/1,000 live births
 * Male: 10.58 deaths/1,000 live births
 * Female: 8.77 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

 * Total population: 77.085 years
 * Male: 74.43 years
 * Female: 79.74 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate

 * 2.24 children born/woman (2006 est.)

HIV/AIDS

 * Adult prevalence rate: 0.6% (2003 est.)
 * People living with HIV/AIDS: 12,000 (2003 est.)
 * Deaths: 900 (2003 est.)

Nationality

 * Noun: Costa Rican(s)
 * Adjective: Costa Rican

Ethnic groups

 * Whites and Meztizo 94%,
 * Black 6%,
 * Amerindian 1%, Chinese 1%, and other 1%

Religions

 * Roman Catholic 76.3%, Evangelical 13.7%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.3%, other Protestant 0.7%, other 4.8%, none 3.2%

Languages

 * Spanish (official), English

Literacy

 * Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
 * Total population: 96%
 * Male: 95.9%
 * Female: 96.1% (2003 est.)