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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 the neighboring countries, 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 mestizo heritage. 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, an 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, since Costa Rica is a favorable haven for new residents seek cheaper real estate, lower taxes and a tropical climate.

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.

There is a growing number of Nicaraguans, who migrate for seasonal work opportunities as agricultural and domestic workers. 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. There is also a growing number of Colombians refugees, Panamanians and Peruvians 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 and Argentina.

Contents 1 Demographic data from the CIA World Factbook 1.1 Population 1.2 Age structure 1.3 Median age 1.4 Population growth rate 1.5 Birth rate 1.6 Death rate 1.7 Net migration rate 1.8 Sex ratio 1.9 Infant mortality rate 1.10 Life expectancy at birth 1.11 Total fertility rate 1.12 HIV/AIDS 1.13 Nationality 1.14 Ethnic groups 1.15 Religions 1.16 Languages 1.17 Literacy 2 References 3 External links

4,075,261 (July 2006 est.)

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.)

Total: 26.4 years

Male: 26 years

Female: 26.9 years (2006 est.)

1.45% (2006 est.)

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

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

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

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.)

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.)

Total population: 77.085 years

Male: 74.43 years

Female: 79.74 years (2006 est.)

2.24 children born/woman (2006 est.)

Adult prevalence rate: 0.6% (2003 est.)

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

Deaths: 900 (2003 est.)

Noun: Costa Rican(s)

Adjective: Costa Rican

• White 80%,
• Mestizo 15%,
• Black 4%,
• Amerindian, Chinese and other 1%

See also: Roman Catholicism in Costa Rica

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

Spanish (official), English

Definition: age 15 and over can read and write

Total population: 96%

Male: 95.9%

Female: 96.1% (2003 est.)

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

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