Page last modified 20 August 2023
Costa Rica
Community
Area 51,100 square kilometres (land area 51,060 square kilometres)
Population,
200,000 (1850)
213,785 (1885)
243,205 (1892)
322,618 (1903)
380,000 (1910)
471,524 (1927)
639,197 (1939)
746,535 (1945)
800,875 (1950)
1,336,274 (1960) +66.9%
1,849,000 (1970) +38.4%
2,389,000 (1980) +29.2%
3,096,000 (1990) +29.6%
3,925,000 (2000) +26.8%
4,545,000 (2010) +15.8%
5,094,100 (2020) +12.1%
Ethnicity % Note, different years may use different racial categories
|
|
Black |
Indigenous |
Mixed |
White |
|
1945 |
3.0 |
1.0 |
16.0 |
80.0 |
|
1970 |
1.0 |
0.5 |
8.0 |
86.8 |
Religion, %
|
|
Buddhist |
Christian Evangelical |
Christian J W |
Christian R C |
None |
|
1960 |
|
|
|
95.0 |
|
|
2010 |
2.1 |
13.7 |
1.3 |
76.3 |
3.2 |
Birth and death rates Below replacement rate = 2.1
|
|
Fertility Rate |
Birth Rate |
Infant Mortality |
Death Rate |
% Aged Under 15 |
% Aged Over 65 |
% Urban |
|
1952 |
|
47.0 (+34.0) |
94.0 |
13.0 |
43.5 |
3.4 |
33.3 |
|
1962 |
6.3 |
45.0 (+35.7) |
|
9.3 |
44.9 |
3.0 |
34.4 |
|
1972 |
4.3 |
32.0 (+25.8) |
56.0 |
6.2 |
42.5 |
3.5 |
40.1 |
|
1980 |
3.6 |
30.0 (+25.3) |
22.0 |
4.7 |
36.9 |
4.1 |
43.1 |
|
1990 |
3.2 |
27.5 (+23.5) |
14.3 |
4.0 |
35.1 |
4.7 |
50.0 |
|
2000 |
2.4 |
20.4 (+16.4) |
11.1 |
4.0 |
30.7 |
5.7 |
59.0 |
|
2010 |
1.8 |
16.5 (+11.9) |
8.8 |
4.6 |
24.6 |
7.5 |
71.7 |
|
2015 |
1.8 |
14.5 (+9.6) |
7.9 |
4.9 |
22.3 |
8.7 |
76.8 |
|
2017 |
1.8 |
14.2 (+9.2) |
7.6 |
5.0 |
|
|
|
|
2018 |
|
|
7.6 |
|
21.3 |
9.6 |
79.3 |
Life expectancy,
57.3 (1950); 56.0 (M), 59.0 (F)
60.6 (1960); 59.4 (M), 62.0 (F)
66.5 (1970); 64.7 (M), 68.3 (F)
72.1 (1980); 69.6 (M), 74.7 (F)
75.7 (1990); 73.1 (M), 78.3 (F)
77.4 (2000); 75.1 (M), 79.8 (F)
78.7 (2010); 76.3 (M), 81.2 (F)
80.4 (2020); 77.9 (M), 83.0 (F)
Population of principal cities, 1,000s MA = |Metropolitan Area
|
|
Alajuela |
Cartago1 |
Limon |
Puntarenas |
SAN JOSE3 |
|
1840 |
|
372 |
|
|
|
|
1890 |
|
6 |
|
|
|
|
1900 |
|
4 |
|
|
24 |
|
1904 |
5 |
5 |
3 |
4 |
25 |
|
1927 |
7 |
7 |
8 |
7 |
51 |
|
1945 |
9 |
9 |
11 |
9 |
80 |
|
1950 |
14 |
13 |
20 |
20 |
87 |
|
1973 |
|
|
|
|
395 MA |
|
1984 |
35 |
24 |
53 |
29 |
241 |
|
1988 |
47 |
101 |
|
|
900 MA |
|
1994 |
|
117 |
|
|
|
|
2000 |
54 |
|
62 |
|
347 |
|
2009 |
|
425 MA |
|
|
1,416 MA |
|
2012 |
123 MA |
|
59 |
34 |
|
|
2015 |
|
|
|
|
2,158 MA |
1Cartago was founded in 1563 by Spanish colonialists.
2Cartago was devastated by a volcanic eruption in 1841.
3San Jose, founded in 1737, has been the capital of Costa Rica since 1823.
Wealth; Gross Domestic Product (nominal values)
|
|
GDP, US$ million |
Total GDP, % of USA |
GDP per capita, US$ |
GDP per capita % of USA |
|
1956 |
310 |
0.09 |
|
|
|
1960 |
508 |
0.09 |
380 |
12.64 |
|
1965 |
592 |
0.08 |
373 |
9.74 |
|
1970 |
980 |
0.09 |
669 |
12.75 |
|
1975 |
1,960 |
0.12 |
1,000 |
12.79 |
|
1980 |
4,830 |
0.17 |
2,147 |
17.04 |
|
1985 |
3,920 |
0.09 |
1,490 |
8.16 |
|
1990 |
5,710 |
0.10 |
1,909 |
7.97 |
|
1995 |
11,580 |
0.16 |
3,345 |
11.12 |
|
2000 |
16,280 |
0.16 |
3,800 |
10.43 |
|
2005 |
19,400 |
0.15 |
4,700 |
10.61 |
|
2010 |
35,020 |
0.23 |
8,200 |
16.95 |
|
2015 |
54,840 |
0.30 |
11,400 |
20.28 |
|
2016 |
57,400 |
0.31 |
11,825 |
20.58 |
GDP by primary sector
|
|
Agriculture % GDP |
Agriculture % employed |
Industry % GDP |
Industry % employed |
Services % GDP |
Services % employed |
|
1960 |
|
50.0 |
|
19.0 |
|
30.0 |
|
1970 |
|
43.0 |
|
|
|
|
|
1980 |
23.0 |
29.0 |
27.0 |
23.0 |
53.0 |
48.0 |
|
2000 |
11.0 |
20.0 |
37.0 |
22.0 |
52.0 |
58.0 |
|
2010 |
6.3 |
14.0 |
22.9 |
22.0 |
70.8 |
64.0 |
|
2016 |
5.5 |
|
21.5 |
|
73.0 |
|
Communications
Language Official; Spanish.�
English also spoken
Literacy
79.0% (1950)
88.0% (1955)
93.0% (1980); 93.2% (M), 92.8% (F)
93.5% (1985); 94.0% (M), 93.0% (F)
95.8% (2000); 95.7% (M), 95.8% (F)
96.1% (2005); 96.0% (M), 96.2% (F)
95.9% (2010); 95.7% (M), 96.2% (F)
97.8% (2015); 97.7% (M), 97.8% (F)
Physical communications � roads and railways,
First railway opened 1890, Limon to San Jose. The rail network was closed in 1995 following an earthquake in 1991.� By 2005, limited freight and commuter services had been restored.
|
|
Roads (km) |
Surfaced (km) |
Motor vehicles |
Cars |
Commercial Vehicles |
Railways (km) |
Electrified % |
|
1890 |
|
|
|
|
|
303 |
|
|
1900 |
|
|
|
|
|
303 |
|
|
1910 |
|
|
|
|
|
654 |
|
|
1920 |
|
|
|
|
|
654 |
|
|
1930 |
|
|
|
|
|
654 |
|
|
1938 |
|
295 |
|
|
|
654 |
|
|
1945 |
|
|
|
2,494 |
1,310 |
|
|
|
1948 |
1,635 |
1,490 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1951 |
|
|
|
4,645 |
2,308 |
|
|
|
1952 |
|
|
9,600 |
5,500 |
4,100 |
805 |
|
|
1961 |
|
|
|
18,100 |
9,400 |
|
|
|
1962 |
9,764 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1968 |
|
|
50,564 |
|
|
805 |
|
|
1975 |
|
|
|
42,700 |
|
|
|
|
1982 |
|
|
|
48,188 |
27,143 |
|
|
|
1984 |
15,400 |
|
217,324 |
|
|
829 |
15.0 |
|
1986 |
29,100 |
2,850 |
|
80,000 |
|
|
|
|
1988 |
35,343 |
5,037 |
|
|
|
829 |
34.0 |
|
1996 |
|
|
424,305 |
277,888 |
|
0 |
|
|
2000 |
|
|
519,865 |
341,990 |
|
0 |
|
|
2002 |
35,303 |
|
651,030 |
367,832 |
|
0 |
|
|
2004 |
35,330 |
8,621 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
2007 |
36,654 |
|
690,000 |
525,400 |
139,600 |
278 |
|
|
2010 |
39,018 |
10,133 |
792,000 |
600,000 |
|
|
|
|
2011 |
|
|
1,060,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
2013 |
|
|
|
|
|
278 |
|
|
2017 |
|
|
2,000,000 |
1,400,000 |
|
|
|
The entire rail system fell into disuse in the 1990s. Some lines have been reopened since 2005.
Electronic communications, TV broadcasts began 1960
|
|
Telephones (landlines) |
Mobile Telephones |
Radios |
Televisions |
PCs |
Internet Users |
|
1940 |
4,000 |
|
21,000 |
|
|
|
|
1950 |
|
|
23,000 |
|
|
|
|
1960 |
15,360 |
|
75,000 |
|
|
|
|
1962 |
16,591 |
|
81,000 |
|
|
|
|
1969 |
50,093 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1976 |
|
|
|
155,000 |
|
|
|
1978 |
145,100 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1980 |
157,400 |
|
190,000 |
277,700 |
|
|
|
1990 |
281,433 |
|
780,000 |
420,000 |
|
|
|
1992 |
|
3,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
1995 |
|
19,000 |
924,000 |
495,000 |
|
|
|
1997 |
|
|
980,000 |
|
250,000 |
50,000 |
|
2000 |
898,734 |
212,000 |
|
930,000 |
600,000 |
|
|
2002 |
|
|
|
|
|
800,000 |
|
2004 |
|
|
|
|
930,000 |
1,000,000 |
|
2006 |
|
1.,400,000 |
|
1,100,000 |
|
|
|
2009 |
1,493,000 |
|
|
|
|
1,485,000 |
|
2010 |
|
3,035,000 |
|
|
|
1,750,000 |
|
2012 |
1,018,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
2016 |
827,000 |
8,063,100 |
|
|
|
3,217,000 |
Tourism: Visitors to Costa Rica,
170,396 (1971)
246,825 (1973)
328,000 (1977)
317,200 (1979)
273,901 (1984)
278,000 (1987)
435,037 (1990)
785,000 (1995)
1,088,000 (2000)
1,679,051 (2005)
2,100,000 (2010)
2,660,000 (2015)