Costa Rica Demographics

Population of Costa Rica (2025)

View live population, charts & trends: Population of Costa Rica

Costa Rica Population
5,152,950
see live
Yearly Change
+0.45%
Global Share
0.06%
Global Rank
127

Median Age

The median age in Costa Rica is 35.2 years (2025).

Fertility in Costa Rica

A Total Fertility Rate (TFR) of 2.1 represents the Replacement-Level Fertility: the average number of children per woman needed for each generation to exactly replace itself without needing international immigration. A value below 2.1 will cause the native population to decline


Total Fertility Rate (TFR)
1.3
(Live Births per Woman, 2025)

Life Expectancy in Costa Rica

See also: Countries in the world ranked by Life Expectancy

Both Sexes
81.2
(life expectancy at birth, both sexes combined)
Females
83.7
(life expectancy at birth, females)
Males
78.6
(life expectancy at birth, males)


Infant Mortality Rate and Deaths of Children under 5 Years Old in Costa Rica


Infant Mortality
6.2
(infant deaths per 1,000 live births)
Deaths under age 5
7.3
(per 1,000 live births)


Costa Rica Urban Population

Currently, 85.2% of the population of Costa Rica is urban (4,390,911 people in 2025)


Population Density

The 2025 population density in Costa Rica is 101 people per Km2 (261 people per mi2), calculated on a total land area of 51,060 Km2 (19,714 sq. miles).

Largest Cities in Costa Rica

# City Population
1 San Jose 335,007
2 Limon 63,081
3 San Francisco 55,923
4 Alajuela 47,494
5 Liberia 45,380
6 Paraiso 39,702
7 Puntarenas 35,650
8 San Isidro 34,877
9 Curridabat 34,586
10 San Vicente de Moravia 34,447
11 San Vicente 34,447
12 San Jose 31,430
13 Purral 30,034
14 Turrialba 28,955
15 San Miguel 28,827
16 San Pedro 27,477
17 San Rafael Abajo 27,419
18 Quesada 27,310
19 Ipis 26,669
20 Cartago 26,594
21 Chacarita 26,354
22 San Juan 26,047
23 Mercedes Norte 26,007
24 Guadalupe 26,005
25 Aserri 25,874
26 San Rafael 25,410
27 San Felipe 24,985
28 Patarra 23,983
29 Tejar 22,433
30 Heredia 21,947

See also

Sources

Definitions

Population Pyramid

A Population pyramid (also called "Age-Sex Pyramid") is a graphical representation of the age and sex of a population.

Types:

  • Expansive - pyramid with a wide base (larger percentage of people in younger age groups, indicating high birth rates and high fertility rates) and narrow top (high death rate and lower life expectancies). It suggests a growing population. Example: Nigeria Population Pyramid
  • Constrictive - pyramid with a narrow base (lower percentage of younger people, indicating declining birth rates with each succeeding age group getting smaller than the previous one). Example: United States
  • Stationary - with a somewhat equal proportion of the population in each age group. The population is stable, neither increasing nor decreasing.

Stages:

Population pyramid stages

Dependency Ratio

There are three types of age dependency ratio: Youth, Elderly, and Total. All three ratios are commonly multiplied by 100.

Youth Dependency Ratio

Definition: population ages 0-15 divided by the population ages 16-64.

Formula: ([Population ages 0-15] ÷ [Population ages 16-64]) × 100

Elderly dependency ratio

Definition: population ages 65-plus divided by the population ages 16-64.

Formula: ([Population ages 65-plus] ÷ [Population ages 16-64]) × 100

Total dependency ratio

Definition: sum of the youth and old-age ratios.

Formula: (([Population ages 0-15] + [Population ages 65-plus]) ÷ [Population ages 16-64]) × 100

NOTE: Dependency Ratio does not take into account labor force participation rates by age group. Some portion of the population counted as "working age" may actually be unemployed or not in the labor force whereas some portion of the "dependent" population may be employed and not necessarily economically dependent.