Demographics of Costa Rica

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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.

In May 2009, Costa Rica had an estimated population of 4,509,290 persons. Together, whites (mostly Spanish) make up a 85% and Mestizo 10% of the population, 3% are black people and 1% Amerindians.

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 60,000 (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% of the Costa Rican population is made up of Nicaraguans,^[1] most of whom migrate for seasonal work opportunities and return to their country. There is also a number of Colombian refugees. 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.

Almost 100,000 Costa Ricans (2% of the country's population) live abroad, mostly in the United States, Mexico and Spain.

Contents 1 CIA World Factbook demographic statistics 1.1 Median age 1.2 Population growth rate 1.3 Birth rate 1.4 Death rate 1.5 Net migration rate 1.6 Sex ratio 1.7 Infant mortality rate 1.8 Life expectancy at birth 1.9 Total fertility rate 1.10 HIV/AIDS 1.11 Nationality 1.12 Ethnic groups 1.13 Religions 1.14 Languages 1.15 Literacy 2 See also 3 References 4 External links

[edit] CIA World Factbook demographic statistics

The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated.

4,509,290 (May 2009 est.)

[edit] Median age

Total: 26.4 years

Male: 26

Female: 26.9 years (2006 est.)

[edit] Population growth rate

1.45% (2006 est.)

[edit] Birth rate

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

[edit] Death rate

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

[edit] Net migration rate

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

[edit] 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: 0.00 male(s)/female

Total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

[edit] 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.)

[edit] Life expectancy at birth

Total population: 77.085 years

Male: 74.43 years

Female: 79.74 years (2006 est.)

[edit] Total fertility rate

2.24 children born/woman (2006 est.)

[edit] HIV/AIDS

Adult prevalence rate: 0.6% (2003 est.)

People living with HIV/AIDS: 12,000 (2003 est.)

Deaths: 900 (2003 est.)

[edit] Nationality

Noun: Costa Rican(s)

Adjective: Costa Rican

[edit] Ethnic groups

• White and castizos 85 %
• Mestizo 10%
• Black/Afro-Caribbean 3%
• Amerindian 1%
• Chinese 1%

[edit] Religions

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

[edit] Languages

Spanish (official), English

[edit] Literacy

Definition: age 15 and over can read and write

Total population: 96%

Male: 96%

Female: 96.1% (2008 est.)

[edit] See also

• Ethnic groups in Central America

[edit] References

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

[edit] External links

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

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