Demographics of Costa Rica

According to the United Nations, Costa Rica had an estimated population of 5,265,575 people as of 2024. White people make up 65.8% of the population, 17.8% identity as mestizos, 7.8% are black people, 2.4% Amerindians, and 6.2% other/none.
In 2010, just under 3% of the population was of African descent. These 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 those of Chinese origin, and less than 1% are West Asian, mainly of Lebanese descent but also Palestinians. The 2011 Census provided the following data: whites and mestizos make up 83.4% of the population, 7% are black people, 2.4% Amerindians, 0.2% Chinese, and 7% other/none.
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. In 2015, there were some 420,000 immigrants in Costa Rica and the number of asylum seekers rose to more than 110,000. An estimated 10% of the Costa Rican population in 2014 was made up of Nicaraguans. There is also a community of North American retirees from the United States and Canada, followed by relatively large numbers of European Union expatriates come to retire as well, and Australians.
Despite a low fertility rate of 1.67 children per woman, the population still grows steadily due to immigration and a relatively young population.
The indigenous population today numbers about 60,000, with some Miskito and Garifuna 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 of the country's people live in another country as immigrants. The main destination countries are the United States, Nicaragua, Panama, Canada, Spain, Mexico, Germany, Italy, Guatemala and Venezuela.

Population size and structure

In, Costa Rica had a population of. The population is increasing at a rate of 1.5% per year. According to current trends, the population will increase to 9,158,000 in about 46 years. The population density is 94 people per square km, the third highest in Central America.
Approximately 20% lived in rural areas and 80% in urban areas. The rate of urbanization estimated for the period 2005-2015 is 2.74% per annum, one of the highest among developing countries. About 75% of the population lives above 500 meters, where the temperature is cooler and milder.
The 2011 census counted a population of 4.3 million people distributed among the following groups: 71.1% Whites or Castizos,17% Mestizo, 6.7% Black/Mulatto mixed race, 2.4% Native American, 1.1% Black or Afro-Caribbean; the census showed 1.1% as Other.
In 2011, there were over 104,000 Native American or indigenous inhabitants, representing 2.4% of the population. Most of them lived in secluded reservations, distributed among eight ethnic groups: Quitirrisí, Matambú or Chorotega, Maleku, Bribri, Cabécar, Guaymí, Boruca and Térraba.
Costa Ricans of European origin are primarily of Spanish descent, with significant numbers of Italian, German, English, Dutch, French, Irish, Portuguese, and Polish families, as well as 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 and Mestizo; the latter have combined European and Native American descent. The Mulatto segment represented 6.7%, and Indigenous people made up 2.4% of the population. Native and European mixed blood populations are far less than in other Latin American countries. Exceptions are the Guanacaste province, 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 José	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

Structure of the population

Age group	Male	Female	Total	%
Total	2 405 636	2 541 064	4 946 700	100
0–4	153 647	153 302	306 949	6.20
5–9	180 403	179 809	360 212	7.28
10–14	200 123	174 821	374 944	7.57
15–19	216 776	211 077	427 853	8.64
20–24	215 301	205 588	420 889	8.50
25–29	188 815	198 789	387 604	7.83
30–34	176 356	198 185	373 541	7.55
35–39	161 288	174 851	336 139	7.40
40–44	145 430	164 672	310 102	6.26
45–49	136 591	163 412	300 003	6.06
50–54	146 253	168 407	314 660	6.36
55–59	133 924	144 718	278 642	5.63
60–64	108 422	126 063	234 485	4.74
65–69	83 152	92 321	175 473	3.54
70–74	55 495	75 098	130 593	2.64
75–79	50 799	45 514	96 313	1.94
80–84	28 176	31 126	59 302	1.20
85–89	16 164	20 771	36 935	0.74
90–94	6 159	10 188	16 347	0.33
95+	2 362	3 352	5 714	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
unknown	3 000	2 158	5 158	0.10

Age group	Male	Female	Total	%
Total	2 482 471	2 680 942	5 163 413	100
0–4	124 613	133 474	258 087	5.00
5–9	165 238	165 966	331 204	6.41
10–14	192 664	184 342	377 006	7.30
15–19	205 825	193 150	398 975	7.73
20–24	213 937	206 672	420 609	8.15
25–29	187 872	181 842	369 714	7.16
30–34	180 627	186 317	366 944	7.11
35–39	171 681	199 074	370 755	7.18
40–44	170 025	192 808	362 833	7.03
45–49	146 946	167 271	314 217	6.09
50–54	150 529	178 318	328 847	6.37
55–59	147 298	173 022	320 320	6.20
60–64	132 034	148 439	280 473	5.43
65–69	105 615	133 821	239 436	4.64
70–74	75 845	90 945	166 790	3.23
75–79	51 931	63 090	115 021	2.23
80–84	32 001	43 126	75 127	1.45
85–89	18 172	25 283	43 455	0.84
90–94	7 628	9 021	16 649	0.32
95+	1 990	4 961	6 951	0.13
Age group	Male	Female	Total	Percent
0–14	482 515	483 782	966 297	18.71
15–64	1 706 774	1 826 913	3 533 687	68.44
65+	293 182	370 247	663 429	12.85

Vital statistics

	Average population	Live births	Deaths	Natural change	Crude birth rate	Crude death rate	Natural change	Crude migration rate	TFR
1934	558,000	23,858	10,020	13,838	44.2	18.6	25.6
1935	572,000	24,934	12,630	12,304	45.2	22.9	22.3	2.8	-
1936	585,000	25,450	11,811	13,639	45.2	21.0	24.2	-1.5	-
1937	599,000	25,624	11,032	14,592	44.5	19.2	25.3	-1.4	-
1938	615,000	26,839	10,422	16,417	45.5	17.7	27.8	-1.1	-
1939	631,000	27,027	11,687	15,340	44.7	19.3	25.4	0.6	-
1940	648,000	28,004	11,211	16,793	45.3	18.1	27.2	-0.3	-
1941	664,000	28,823	11,429	17,394	45.5	18.1	27.4	-2.7	-
1942	680,000	28,263	13,559	14,704	43.7	21.0	22.7	1.4	-
1943	697,000	30,468	11,734	18,734	46.1	17.7	28.4	-3.4	-
1944	716,000	29,935	11,295	18,640	44.2	16.7	27.5	-0.2	-
1945	736,000	32,529	10,768	21,761	46.8	15.5	31.3	-3.4	-
1946	759,000	32,159	9,971	22,188	45.0	13.9	31.1	0.1	-
1947	787,000	32,600	10,967	21,633	44.7	14.9	29.8	7.1	-
1948	808,000	35,956	10,666	25,290	44.5	13.2	31.3	-4.6	-
1949	832,000	36,774	10,566	26,208	44.2	12.7	31.5	-1,8	-
1950	966,000	39,943	10,480	29,463	41.3	10.8	30.5	130.6	-
1951	994,000	43,068	10,390	32,678	43.3	10.5	32.9	-3.9	-
1952	1,025,000	45,816	10,672	35,144	44.7	10.4	34.3	-3.1	-
1953	1,058,000	45,697	11,353	34,344	43.2	10.7	32.5	-0.3	-
1954	1,093,000	48,857	10,681	38,176	44.7	9.8	34.9	-1.8	-
1955	1,129,000	49,800	11,000	39,269	44.1	9.7	34.8	-1.9	-
1956	1,167,000	51,350	10,476	40,874	44.0	9.0	35.1	-1.4	-
1957	1,206,000	52,860	11,544	41,316	43.9	9.6	34.3	-0.9	-
1958	1,246,000	53,919	10,608	43,311	43.3	8.5	34.8	--1.6	-
1959	1,289,000	57,801	11,160	46,641	44.8	8.7	36.2	-1.7	-
1960	1,334,000	59,701	11,035	48,666	44.8	8.3	36.5	-1.6	-
1961	1,382,000	60,641	10,644	49,997	43.9	7.7	36.2	-0.2	-
1962	1,431,000	60,750	11,953	48,797	42.5	8.4	34.1	1.4	-
1963	1,482,000	62,821	12,519	50,302	42.4	8.5	34.0	1.6	-
1964	1,533,000	61,870	13,527	48,343	40.4	8.8	31.6	2.8	-
1965	1,583,000	62,400	12,814	49,586	39.4	8.1	31.3	1.3	-
1966	1,633,000	62,330	11,403	50,927	38.2	7.0	31.2	0.4	-
1967	1,681,000	61,229	11,289	49,940	36.4	6.7	29.7	-0.3	-
1968	1,729,000	60,902	10,653	50,249	35.2	6.2	29.1	-0.5	-
1969	1,776,000	59,636	11,599	48,037	33.6	6.5	27.1	0.1	-
1970	1,822,000	59,557	11,504	48,053	32.7	6.3	26.4	-0.5	-
1971	1,867,000	58,138	10,575	47,563	31.2	5.7	25.5	-0.8	-
1972	1,911,000	59,274	10,855	48,419	31.0	5.7	25.4	-1.8	-
1973	1,956,000	58,177	9,702	48,475	29.8	5.0	24.8	-1.3	-
1974	2,002,000	57,749	9,512	48,237	28.9	4.8	24.1	-0.6	-
1975	2,052,000	59,175	9,615	49,560	28.9	4.7	24.2	0.8	-
1976	2,105,000	60,668	9,356	51,312	28.8	4.4	24.4	1.4	-
1977	2,162,000	64,190	8,907	55,283	29.7	4.1	25.6	1.5	-
1978	2,222,000	67,722	8,625	59,097	30.5	3.9	26.6	1.2	-
1979	2,284,000	69,318	9,143	60,175	30.4	4.0	26.4	1.5	-
1980	2,348,000	70,048	9,268	61,780	29.8	3.9	26.3	1.7	3.63
1981	2,415,000	72,294	8,990	63,304	30.0	3.7	26.2	2.3	3.62
1982	2,483,000	73,168	9,168	64,000	29.5	3.7	25.8	2.4	3.54
1983	2,554,000	72,944	9,432	63,536	28.6	3.7	24.9	3.7	3.41
1984	2,626,000	76,878	9,931	66,217	29.0	3.8	25.2	3.0	3.44
1985	2,699,000	84,337	10,493	73,841	31.3	3.9	27.4	0.4	3.72
1986	2,773,000	83,194	10,449	72,745	30.0	3.8	26.3	1.1	3.58
1987	2,848,000	80,326	10,687	69,639	28.2	3.8	24.5	2.5	3.36
1988	2,924,000	81,376	10,944	70,432	27.8	3.7	24.1	2.6	3.33
1989	3,001,000	83,460	11,272	72,188	27.8	3.8	24.1	2,2	3.35
1990	3,079,000	81,939	11,366	70,573	26.6	3.7	22.9	3.1	3.20
1991	3,156,000	81,110	11,792	69,318	25.7	3.7	22.0	3.0	3.04
1992	3,234,000	80,164	12,253	67,911	24.8	3.8	21.0	3.7	3.02
1993	3,312,000	79,714	12,544	67,170	24.1	3.8	20.3	3.8	3.02
1994	3,394,000	80,391	13,313	67,078	23.7	3.9	19.8	5.0	2.85
1995	3,478,000	80,306	14,061	66,245	23.1	4.0	19.0	5.7	2.78
1996	3,567,000	79,203	13,993	65,210	22.2	3.9	18.3	7.3	2.69
1997	3,658,000	78,018	14,260	63,758	21.3	3.9	17.4	8.1	2.68
1998	3,751,000	76,982	14,708	62,274	20.5	3.9	16.6	8.8	2.60
1999	3,842,000	78,526	15,052	63,474	20.4	3.9	16.5	7.8	2.60
2000	3,930,000	78,178	14,944	63,234	19.9	3.8	16.1	6.8	2.41
2001	4,013,000	76,401	15,608	60,793	19.0	3.9	15.1	6.0	2.28
2002	4,094,000	71,144	15,004	56,140	17.4	3.7	13.7	6.5	2.08
2003	4,171,000	72,938	15,800	57,138	17.5	3.8	13.7	5.1	2.08
2004	4,246,000	72,247	15,949	56,298	17.0	3.8	13.3	4.7	2.00
2005	4,320,000	71,548	16,139	55,409	16.6	3.7	12.8	4.6	2.00
2006	4,392,000	71,291	16,766	54,525	16.2	3.8	12.4	4.3	1.90
2007	4,463,000	73,144	17,071	56,073	16.4	3.8	12.6	3.6	1.98
2008	4,533,000	75,187	18,021	57,166	16.6	4.0	12.6	3.1	1.97
2009	4,601,000	75,000	18,560	56,440	16.2	4.0	12.2	2.8	1.95
2010	4,670,000	70,922	19,077	51,845	15.5	4.2	11.4	3.6	1.81
2011	4,738,000	73,459	18,801	54,658	15.9	4.1	11.8	2.8	1.86
2012	4,652,000	73,326	19,200	54,126	15.7	4.1	11.6	-29.8	1.84
2013	4,713,000	70,550	19,647	50,903	15.0	4.2	10.8	2.3	1.76
2014	4,773,000	71,793	20,553	51,240	15.0	4.3	10.7	2.0	1.77
2015	4,832,000	71,819	21,039	50,780	14.9	4.3	10.6	1.8	1.76
2016	4,890,000	70,004	22,603	47,401	14.3	4.6	9.7	2.3	1.71
2017	4,947,000	68,816	23,251	45,565	13.9	4.7	9.2	2.5	1.67
2018	5,003,000	68,449	23,806	44,643	13.7	4.8	8.9	2.4	1.66
2019	5,058,000	64,287	24,237	40,050	12.7	4.8	7.9	3.1	1.56
2020	5,111,200	57,848	26,209	31,639	11.4	5.1	6.3	4.2	1.41
2021	5,173,400	54,289	31,081	23,208	10.7	6.1	4.6	7.7	1.32
2022	5,044,197	53,435	28,931	24,504	10.5	5.7	4.8	-29.7	1.30
2023	5,136,000	50,205	29,189	21,016	9.7	5.6	4.1	14.0	1.19
2024	5,164,860	45,825	30,185	15,640	8.9	5.8	3.1	2.6	1.12

= Census results.

Life expectancy at birth

Source: ''UN World Population Prospects''

Ethnic groups

According to census data the vast majority of the population identifies itself as white or mestizo. The indigenous Amerindian population only constitutes 2.4% of the population in 2011, but has gone up from only 0.3% in 1950. About 7% has African roots.

European Costa Ricans

European Costa Ricans are people from Costa Rica whose ancestry lies within the continent of Europe, most notably Spain. According to DNA studies, around 75% of the population have some level of European ancestry.
Percentages of the Costa Rican population by race are known as the national census, which includes the question of ethnicity in its form. As of 2012, 65.80% of Costa Ricans identify themselves as white/castizo and 17.80% as mestizo, giving around over 80% of the Caucasian population. This, however, is based on self-identification and not on scientific studies. According to the PLoS Genetics Geographic Patterns of Genome Admixture in Latin American Mestizos study of 2012, Costa Ricans have 73% of European ancestry, 25% Amerindian, and 2% African. According to CIA Factbook, Costa Rica has a white or Castizo population of 83.6%.
Cristopher Columbus and his crew were the first Europeans ever to set foot on what is now Costa Rica, having arrived at Uvita Island in 1502 on Columbus's last trip. Costa Rica was part of the Spanish Empire and colonized by Spaniards mostly Castilians, Basque and Sephardic Jews.
After independence, large migrations of wealthy Americans, Germans, French and British businessmen came to the country encouraged by the government and followed by their families and employees, thus creating colonies and mixing with the population, especially the high and middle classes.
Later, smaller migrations of Italians, Spaniards and Arabs took place. These migrants arrived fleeing economic crisis in their home countries, setting in large, more closed colonies. Polish migrants, mostly Ashkenazi Jews who fled antisemitism and Nazi persecution in Europe, also arrived in large numbers.
In 1901, the president Ascensión Esquivel Ibarra closed the country to all non-white immigrants. All Black, Chinese, Arab, Turkish or Romani migration to the country was banned. After the beginning of the Spanish Civil War, a large influx of Republican refugees settled in the country, mostly Castilians, Galicians, and Asturians, as well as later Chilean, Mexican and Colombian migrants who would arrive escaping from war or dictatorships, as Costa Rica is the longest running democracy in Latin America.

Languages

Nearly all Costa Ricans speak Spanish, but many know English. Indigenous Costa Ricans also speak their own language, such as the case of the Ngobes.

Religion

According to the World Factbook, the main faiths are Roman Catholic, Evangelical, Jehovah's Witnesses, other Protestant, other, and none.
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, 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.
Apart from the dominant Catholic religion, several other religious groups exist in the country. Methodist, Lutheran, Episcopal, Baptist, and other Protestant groups have significant membership. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints claims more than 35,000 members and has a temple in San José that served as a regional worship center for Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua, and Honduras.
Although they represent less than 1 percent of the population, Jehovah's Witnesses have a strong presence on the Caribbean coast. Seventh-day Adventists operate a university that attracts students from throughout the Caribbean Basin. The Unification Church maintains its continental headquarters for Latin America in San José.
Non-Christian religious groups, including followers of Judaism, Islam, Taoism, Hare Krishna, Paganism, Wicca, Scientology, Tenrikyo, and the Baháʼí Faith, claim membership throughout the country, with the majority of worshipers residing in the Central Valley. While there is no general correlation between religion and ethnicity, indigenous peoples are more likely to practice animism than other religions.
Article 75 of the Costa Rican Constitution states that the "Catholic, Apostolic, and Roman Religion is the official religion of the Republic." That same article provides for freedom of religion. The government respects this right. The US government found no reports of societal abuses or discrimination based on religious belief or practice in 2007.

Migration

Emigration

Costa Rican emigration is among the smallest in the Caribbean Basin. About 2% of the country's population lives in another country as immigrants. The main destination countries are the United States, Spain, Mexico, and other Central American countries. In 2005, 127,061 Costa Ricans lived in another country as immigrants. Remittance s were $513,000,000 in 2006, which represented 2.3% of the national 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. The vast majority were born in Nicaragua. Other countries of origin were Colombia, United States, Spain and Panama. 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. The number of migrants declined in later years but in 2015, there were some 420,000 immigrants in Costa Rica and the number of asylum seekers rose to more than 110,000, a fivefold increase from 2012. 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.