Demographics of Costa Rica

BET 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 Mestizo (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,[1] 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.

Contents

Demographic data from the CIA World Factbook

Population

4,133,884 (July 2007 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%,
  • Mulatto 5%,
  • Black 3%,
  • 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.)

References

  1. ^ www.state.gov Background Note: Costa Rica - People

This article contains material from the CIA World Factbook (2006 edition) which, as a US government publication, is in the public domain.

External links