People & Culture

Costa Rican People:

More than 90% of the Tico people are white and have European ancestry. They are fun loving people that have enjoyed democracy in their country for nearly four decades and have a large middle class. They are well educated with many students graduating from their good quality universities. There healthcare system is first rate and insurance is very affordable ($40/mnth). They have strong immediate and extended families, as is the case in many Latin American societies. Prostitution is legal in Costa Rica as is marijuana use, which has in part given rise to the country being considered the Switzerland of the Americas.

Population: 4,016,173 (July 2005 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.48% (2005 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 28.9% (male 593,540/female 566,361)

15-64 years: 65.5% (male 1,330,481/female 1,300,664)

65 years and over: 5.6% (male 104,564/female 120,563) (2005 est.)

Median age: total: 26.03 years

male: 25.59 years

female: 26.5 years (2005 est.)

18.6 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Death rate:

4.33 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

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 (2005 est.)

0.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

total: 9.95 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 10.85 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 9 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

total population: 76.84 years

male: 74.26 years

female: 79.55 years (2005 est.)

2.28 children born/woman (2005 est.)

noun: Costa Rican(s)

adjective: Costa Rican

0.6% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

12,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

900 (2003 est.)

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

white (including mestizo) 94%, black 3%, Amerindian 1%, Chinese 1%, other 1%

Spanish (official), English

Source: The World Factbook

total population: 96%

male: 95.9%

female: 96.1% (2003 est.)