Population and Demographics of Costa Rica
Population changed +0.48% in 2024 · median age 35 years
Costa Rica's demographic profile combines +0.48% annual change with fertility of 1.3. Compared with 2000, the 2024 population is 30.3% larger, showing the scale of the longer shift. The medium projection reaches 5.35 million in 2050, placing the mid-century total 4.4% above 2024.
Population Over Time in Costa Rica
A longer view puts Costa Rica at 3.938M in 2000 and 5.130M in 2024. That works out to a 30.3% gain. By 2050, the medium path reaches 5.354M, which would make the population close to its 2024 size than in 2024. The chart connects dated reference points only and should not be read as an annual interpolated series.
Age Structure and Sex Balance
The balance between children, working-age adults and older residents gives Costa Rica a mixed age profile. At 18.80%, the under-15 group is larger than the 12.23% aged 65+, while ages 15 to 64 account for 68.97%. The age balance is weighted toward younger residents.
Population by broad age group
Costa Rica's 2024 population is 50.6% female and 49.4% male in the World Bank series. Females exceed males by 1.2 percentage points.
Female and male population share
Females made up 50.6% of the population in the World Bank's 2024 series, compared with 49.4% males.
What Is Shaping Population Change
Costa Rica records +0.48% annual population change in 2024 and 1.3 children per woman, in a structure where 68.97% are working age and 12.23% are 65 or above.
The 24-year population path to 2024 amounts to +30.3% for Costa Rica, while the 2050 medium projection is 4.4% above 2024; this profile does not infer unobserved migration or natural-change components.
2024 estimate for Costa Rica. The world comparison value is 2.25 children per woman.
Costa Rica vs. World
Against the 2024 world benchmarks, Costa Rica's annual population change was lower than the global pace, fertility was below the world level, and its population was older than the world median-age profile.
| Indicator | Costa Rica | World | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual population change | +0.48% | +0.87% | 2024 |
| Total fertility rate | 1.3 | 2.25 | 2024 |
| Median age | 35 | 30.6 | 2024 |
The comparison is intentionally narrow: each row uses the 2024 country table and its matching world value rather than mixing sources or observation years.
Key Takeaways
At 5.130M, the 2024 population is paired with an annual change rate of +0.48%.
The 2024 age structure is 18.80% under 15, 68.97% aged 15 to 64 and 12.23% aged 65 or older.
Females make up 50.6% of the 2024 population in the World Bank indicator, with males at 49.4%.
The 2050 medium projection is 5.354M, 4.4% above the 2024 estimate.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the population of Costa Rica?
The 2024 harmonized population estimate for Costa Rica is 5,129,910 people.
Is the population of Costa Rica growing or declining?
In the 2024 estimate, Costa Rica's population is growing, with annual change of +0.48%.
What percentage of the population of Costa Rica is aged 65 or older?
People aged 65 or older account for 12.23% of Costa Rica's 2024 population in the UN WPP-based broad age data.
What is the projected population of Costa Rica in 2050?
The UN World Population Prospects 2024 medium projection puts Costa Rica's 2050 population at 5,354,150.
What is the fertility rate in Costa Rica?
The 2024 harmonized fertility estimate for Costa Rica is 1.3 children per woman.
Sources & methodology
This profile uses United Nations World Population Prospects 2024 as the primary framework for globally comparable population, age, fertility and projection data. The World Bank is the primary source for the female population share. Some country values were accessed through secondary retrieval interfaces that republish or organize UN data; those interfaces are identified below as secondary and are not treated as the original statistical publishers.
View sources used for this page
Primary global framework for the population estimates and projections.
Harmonized 2024 country table based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Harmonized broad age shares based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Harmonized reference for the 2000 population point.
Harmonized 2050 country projection based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Used for the 2024 female share; the male share is calculated as the remainder to 100%.