Costa Rica: Population Demographics

Population, Mid-Year 2019: 5,048,000
Population Density (Population Per Square Kilometer), Mid-Year 2019: 99
Projected Population Mid-Year 2030: 5,468,000
Percentage of Population Under Age 25 Years, Mid-Year 2019: 36%
Percentage of Population 65 Years Or Over, Mid-Year 2019: 10%

Source: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2019). World Population Prospects 2019: Data Booklet (ST/ESA/SER.A/424).

Annual Population Growth Rate 2000-2018: 1.3%
Projected Annual Population Growth Rate 2018-2030: 0.7%
Proportion of Urban Population, 2018: 79%
Annual Growth Rate of Urban Population 2000-2018: 2.9%
Projected Annual Growth Rate of Urban Population 2018-2030: 1.4%

Source: UNICEF (2019). The State of the World’s Children 2019. Children, Food and Nutrition: Growing well in a changing world. UNICEF, New York.

“Costa Rica is located in Central America, between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans; it borders Nicaragua and Panama. It is divided politically into 7 provinces, 81 cantons, and 463 districts. Its 8 indigenous populations are distributed across 24 territories. Of the total population, 2.42% describe themselves as indigenous, 1.9% as Afro-Costa Ricans, and 0.5% as Chinese.

“Between 1990 and 2015, the population grew by 55.3% and its pyramid shifted from an expansive one toward a regressive one through population aging. In 2015, the population was 4.8 million (76.8% in urban areas).

“In 2016, life expectancy at birth was 79.16 years (81 for women and 77 for men).

“Costa Rica is among the countries with high human development and is ranked fifth in Latin America on this scale as a result of heavy public social investment.”

Source: Pan American Health Organization. Health in the Americas+, 2017 Edition. Summary: Regional Outlook and Country Profiles. Washington, DC: PAHO; 2017.
http://iris.paho.org/xmlui/handle/123456789/34321
https://www.paho.org/salud-en-las-americas-2017/
https://www.paho.org/salud-en-las-americas-2017/?page_id=109

“In 2015, 21.7% of households were living in poverty, and 7.2% in extreme poverty. The highest-earning quintile received 54.4% of all income, while the lowest-earning quintile received 4.1%.

“The indigenous population, 47% of which is concentrated in 22 territories, exhibits high levels of poverty and marginalization, especially among women.

“In 2015, the literacy rate was 97.8%, and nearly 90% of children completed primary school. The mean educational attainment was 8.4 years of schooling.

“Almost the entire Costa Rican population has access to improved water sources and improved sanitation facilities.”

Health Systems Facts is a project of the Real Reporting Foundation. We provide reliable statistics and other data from authoritative sources regarding health systems in the US and several other nations.

Page last updated Dec. 1, 2020 by Doug McVay, Editor.