Demographics

According to the CIA World Factbook, Costa Rica has a population of 4,576,562 (as of July 2011) of which 94% are Mestizo or white, 3% black, 1% Amerindian, 1% Chinese and 1% other. The exact amount, however, is not known because the Costa Rican census combines mestizos and whites in one category. The white population is primarily of Spanish ancestry with significant numbers of Costa Ricans of European descent. A vast majority of Costa Ricans are of either Spanish or mixed mestizo heritage, mainly because less mixing of the Spanish settlers and the indigenous populations occurred here, unlike its neighboring countries.

Just under 3% of the population is of black African descent. The majority of the afro Costa Ricans are descendants of nineteenth century black Jamaican immigrant workers, as well as slaves who were brought during the Atlantic slave trade.

The indigenous or Amerindian population is made up of over 41,000 individuals. In the Guanacaste Province a significant portion of the population descends from a bi-racial mix of local Amerindians and Spaniards. There is also an expatriate community of people of all ages from the United States, Canada, Germany, Netherlands, Britain, and other countries, especially in the Central Valley city of Escazú.

Costa Rica hosts many refugees, mainly from Colombia and Nicaragua. As a result, an estimated 10% to 15% of the Costa Rican population is made up of Nicaraguans, most of whom migrate for seasonal work opportunities and then return to their country. There is also a growing number of Peruvian refugees. Moreover, Costa Rica took in many refugees from a range of other Latin American countries fleeing civil wars and dictatorships during the 1970s and 80s – notably from Chile and Argentina, as well as those from El Salvador who fled from guerrillas and government death squads.

An estimated 10% to 15% of the Costa Rican population is made up of Nicaraguans, most of whom migrate for work opportunities. During the 1970s and 80s, Costa Rica took in many refugees fleeing civil wars and dictatorships from a range of Latin American countries.

Diana Wilson