Costa Rica Flag

Costa Rica

Population

5,181,691

Estimated as of Oct 28, 2026View source
Population rank
127th
Share of world
0.06%
Annual change
+21,8390.42%

Population of Costa Rica

1M2M3M4M5M6MProjected peak20265.2M2050 projection5.4M↑ 3% from 202619601980200020202040206020802100

Source: United Nations — World Population Prospects (2024 Revision)

95% prediction interval

Current population estimate: 5,181,691. 2050 projection: 5,354,150.Use the arrow keys on the chart to inspect individual years.

Historical population estimates for Costa Rica. Annual change is shown as a percentage.
20265,174,7890.42%127
20255,152,9500.45%127
20205,034,3200.70%123
20194,999,5530.84%121
20184,957,8180.91%120
20174,913,1770.95%120
20154,818,0381.07%120
20104,555,9621.25%120
20054,261,2401.46%121
20003,937,7391.96%122

Showing 10 of 19 years.

Population by City

San Jose is home to 364,062 people, 7.04% of Costa Rica's population.

City population300K100K50K
San Jose 364.1KAlajuela 340.4KDesamparados 223.4KSan Carlos 209.5KCartago 170.7KPerez Zeledon 163.9KPococi 152.2KPuntarenas (incl. Monte Verde) 149.4KHeredia 133.1K
Largest cities by 2026 population and share of the national population.
1San Jose364.1K7.04%
2Alajuela340.4K6.58%
3Desamparados223.4K4.32%
4San Carlos209.5K4.05%
5Cartago170.7K3.30%
6Perez Zeledon163.9K3.17%
7Pococi152.2K2.94%
8Puntarenas (incl. Monte Verde)149.4K2.89%
9Goicoechea134.1K2.59%
10Heredia133.1K2.57%

Costa Rica by the Numbers

Estimated as of Oct 28, 2026

Population
Costa Rica is home to an estimated 5,181,691 people, the 127th largest population in the world.
Daily change
Costa Rica has a net population change of approximately 58 people per day, driven by 137 births, 82 deaths, and net immigration of 3 people.
Share of world
Costa Rica makes up 0.06% of the world's population and 0.83% of North America's.
Density
101.3 people per km² of land (262.5 per mi²), ranking 117th among countries and territories.
Urban living
79.73% of people live in urban areas.

Costa Rica Demographics

Age & longevity

MaleFemale100+ years, male: 147100+ years, female: 71995–99 years, male: 1,31395–99 years, female: 3,86490–94 years, male: 6,09690–94 years, female: 12,23085–89 years, male: 17,24485–89 years, female: 26,20080–84 years, male: 34,62880–84 years, female: 44,94175–79 years, male: 57,72375–79 years, female: 69,15270–74 years, male: 82,11170–74 years, female: 95,04065–69 years, male: 111,38265–69 years, female: 125,20360–64 years, male: 133,79160–64 years, female: 147,56355–59 years, male: 138,91455–59 years, female: 152,58150–54 years, male: 147,52650–54 years, female: 159,08245–49 years, male: 171,30445–49 years, female: 177,93140–44 years, male: 197,73740–44 years, female: 198,09935–39 years, male: 209,11835–39 years, female: 205,27830–34 years, male: 205,84830–34 years, female: 200,60825–29 years, male: 200,69325–29 years, female: 194,18020–24 years, male: 185,23020–24 years, female: 178,12415–19 years, male: 184,00115–19 years, female: 176,36010–14 years, male: 179,40110–14 years, female: 171,8995–9 years, male: 160,7395–9 years, female: 154,1820–4 years, male: 131,0910–4 years, female: 125,520100+95–9990–9485–8980–8475–7970–7465–6960–6455–5950–5445–4940–4435–3930–3425–2920–2415–1910–145–90–4100K100K

Hover or tap an age group to see exact counts. Use the up and down arrow keys to inspect age groups.

Median age

36.7 yrs

World: 31

Life expectancy

81.4 yrs

World: 73.8

Male

49.39%

Female

50.61%

Life expectancy 78.8Life expectancy 83.9

Ethnicity

83.6%

White or Mestizo

  • White or Mestizo83.6%
  • Mulatto6.7%
  • none2.9%
  • Indigenous2.4%
  • Unspecified2.2%
  • Black or African descent1.1%
  • Other1.1%
Data notes

Source estimate: 2011 est.

Religion

47.5%

Roman Catholic, the largest religion

  • Roman Catholic47.5%
  • None27%
  • Evangelical and Pentecostal19.8%
  • Unspecified2.5%
  • Other1.9%
  • Jehovah's Witness1.4%
Data notes

Source estimate: 2021 est.

Related Pages

Sources

  1. World Population Prospects (2024 Revision) - United Nations population estimates and projections.
  2. World Population Prospects (2024 Revision) - Costa Rica United Nations Graphs/Profiles
  3. World Bank / UN World Urbanization Prospects - 2025: Urban population (% of total population), using national definitions.
  4. National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (INEC)