Costa Rica

Interesting Facts About Costa Rica

• Costa Rica has a population of around 5 million people, with the capital San José home to approximately 350,000 residents and 2 million in the surrounding metropolitan area.
• The country is remarkably diverse ethnically, with 83.6% of the population classified as white or Mestizo, 6.7% Mulatto, and 2.4% Indigenous people representing eight distinct ethnic groups.
• Eight indigenous ethnic groups inhabit Costa Rica's secluded reservations, including the Quitirrisí, Chorotega, Bribri, Cabécar, Ngäbe, Boruca, and Térraba peoples distributed across different regions.
• The Afro-Costa Rican community, primarily Creole English-speaking descendants of 19th century Jamaican immigrant workers, is concentrated largely in the Limón region.
• Costa Rica has a significant European heritage with ancestry tracing to Spanish, Italian, German, English, Dutch, French, Irish, Portuguese, and Polish families, plus a notable Jewish community.
• An estimated 10-15% of Costa Rica's population comprises Nicaraguan migrants, who came both as refugees and for seasonal work opportunities.

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