Demographics

In 2009, Costa Rica had an estimated population of 4,253,877. The majority of people in Costa Rica descend from Spanish settlers. In contrast to its neighboring countries, little mixing of the Spanish settlers and the indigenous populations occurred. Therefore, a vast majority of Costa Ricans are either of Spanish or Meztizo heritage. In addition, there are significant numbers of Costa Ricans of Italian, German, Jewish, and Polish descent. Together, European and Meztizos descendants make up 94 percent of the population. About three percent of the population is of African descent, also known as Afro-Latin Americans. Another group are English-speaking descendants of 19th-century Jamaican immigrant workers. Another one percent is composed of ethnic Chinese.

Today, the indigenous population numbers less than one percent, or around 29,000 individuals. In Guanacaste Province, a significant portion of the population descends from a mix of local Amerindians, Africans and Spaniards. There is also a small expatriate community of American and Canadian retirees