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Demographics of Costa Rica

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. In contrast to its neighboring populations, little mixing of the Spanish settlers and the indigenous populations occurred. Therefore, a vast majority of Costa Ricans are either of Spanish or to a lesser extent of mixed meztizo heritage. In addition, there are significant numbers of Costa Ricans of Italian, German, Jewish, and Polish descent. Together, European and Meztizos descendants make up a full 94% of the population. 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 ethnic group 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, and today work as manual laborers. Racism against the Nicaraguans is common, and their position in society can be compared to the socio-economic status of Mexican Americans in the United States.

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.

Demographic data from the CIA World Factbook

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 years

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: 9.7 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: 77.02 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/mestizos 94%, black 3%, Amerindian 1%, Chinese 1%, 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.)

Jason Voorhees: .001%