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Costa Rica vs. Nicaragua

Demographics

Costa RicaNicaragua
Population5,151,140 (July 2021 est.)6,243,931 (July 2021 est.)
Age structure0-14 years: 22.08% (male 575,731/female 549,802)

15-24 years: 15.19% (male 395,202/female 379,277)

25-54 years: 43.98% (male 1,130,387/female 1,111,791)

55-64 years: 9.99% (male 247,267/female 261,847)

65 years and over: 8.76% (male 205,463/female 241,221) (2020 est.)
0-14 years: 25.63% (male 811,731/female 777,984)

15-24 years: 19.51% (male 609,962/female 600,567)

25-54 years: 42.41% (male 1,254,683/female 1,376,052)

55-64 years: 6.63% (male 188,591/female 222,766)

65 years and over: 5.82% (male 159,140/female 201,965) (2020 est.)
Median agetotal: 32.6 years

male: 32.1 years

female: 33.1 years (2020 est.)
total: 27.3 years

male: 26.4 years

female: 28.2 years (2020 est.)
Population growth rate1.04% (2021 est.)0.93% (2021 est.)
Birth rate14.53 births/1,000 population (2021 est.)16.71 births/1,000 population (2021 est.)
Death rate4.86 deaths/1,000 population (2021 est.)5.16 deaths/1,000 population (2021 est.)
Net migration rate0.78 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.)-2.27 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.)
Sex ratioat birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

15-24 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

25-54 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

55-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female

total population: 1 male(s)/female (2020 est.)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-24 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

25-54 years: 0.91 male(s)/female

55-64 years: 0.85 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female

total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2020 est.)
Infant mortality ratetotal: 8.59 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 9.66 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 7.46 deaths/1,000 live births (2021 est.)
total: 19.57 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 22.83 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 16.16 deaths/1,000 live births (2021 est.)
Life expectancy at birthtotal population: 79.41 years

male: 76.75 years

female: 82.22 years (2021 est.)
total population: 74.51 years

male: 72.28 years

female: 76.86 years (2021 est.)
Total fertility rate1.87 children born/woman (2021 est.)1.81 children born/woman (2021 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate0.4% (2020 est.)0.2% (2020 est.)
Nationalitynoun: Costa Rican(s)

adjective: Costa Rican
noun: Nicaraguan(s)

adjective: Nicaraguan
Ethnic groupsWhite or Mestizo 83.6%, Mulatto 6.7%, Indigenous 2.4%, Black or African descent 1.1%, other 1.1%, none 2.9%, unspecified 2.2% (2011 est.)Mestizo (mixed Amerindian and White) 69%, White 17%, Black 9%, Amerindian 5%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS16,000 (2020 est.)12,000 (2020 est.)
ReligionsRoman Catholic 71.8%, Evangelical and Pentecostal 12.3%, other Protestant 2.6%, Jehovah's Witness 0.5%, other 2.4%, none 10.4% (2016 est.)Roman Catholic 50%, Evangelical 33.2%, other 2.9%, none 0.7%, unspecified 13.2% (2017 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths<500 (2020 est.)<500 (2020 est.)
LanguagesSpanish (official), English

major-language sample(s):
La Libreta Informativa del Mundo, la fuente indispensable de información básica. (Spanish)

The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
Spanish (official) 95.3%, Miskito 2.2%, Mestizo of the Caribbean coast 2%, other 0.5%; note - English and indigenous languages found on the Caribbean coast (2005 est.)

major-language sample(s):
La Libreta Informativa del Mundo, la fuente indispensable de información básica. (Spanish)

The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
Literacydefinition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 97.9%

male: 97.8%

female: 97.9% (2018)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 82.6%

male: 82.4%

female: 82.8% (2015)
Major infectious diseasesdegree of risk: intermediate (2020)

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea

vectorborne diseases: dengue fever
degree of risk: high (2020)

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria
Education expenditures7% of GDP (2019)4.4% of GDP (2017)
Urbanizationurban population: 81.4% of total population (2021)

rate of urbanization: 1.5% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
urban population: 59.3% of total population (2021)

rate of urbanization: 1.45% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Drinking water sourceimproved: urban: 100% of population

rural: 100% of population

total: 100% of population

unimproved: urban: 0% of population

rural: 0% of population

total: 0% of population (2017 est.)
improved: urban: 97.6% of population

rural: 62.6% of population

total: 83.1% of population

unimproved: urban: 2.4% of population

rural: 37.4% of population

total: 16.9% of population (2017 est.)
Sanitation facility accessimproved: urban: 98.4% of population

rural: 95.8% of population

total: 97.8% of population

unimproved: urban: 1.6% of population

rural: 4.2% of population

total: 2.2% of population (2017 est.)
improved: urban: 89.8% of population

rural: 66.5% of population

total: 80.1% of population

unimproved: urban: 10.2% of population

rural: 33.5% of population

total: 19.9% of population (2017 est.)
Major cities - population1.421 million SAN JOSE (capital) (2021)1.073 million MANAGUA (capital) (2021)
Maternal mortality rate27 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)198 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight2.9% (2018)4.6% (2011/12)
Health expenditures7.6% (2018)8.6% (2018)
Physicians density2.89 physicians/1,000 population (2018)0.98 physicians/1,000 population (2018)
Hospital bed density1.1 beds/1,000 population (2017)0.9 beds/1,000 population (2017)
Obesity - adult prevalence rate25.7% (2016)23.7% (2016)
Demographic profile

Costa Rica's political stability, high standard of living, and well-developed social benefits system set it apart from its Central American neighbors. Through the government's sustained social spending - almost 20% of GDP annually - Costa Rica has made tremendous progress toward achieving its goal of providing universal access to education, healthcare, clean water, sanitation, and electricity. Since the 1970s, expansion of these services has led to a rapid decline in infant mortality, an increase in life expectancy at birth, and a sharp decrease in the birth rate. The average number of children born per women has fallen from about 7 in the 1960s to 3.5 in the early 1980s to below replacement level today. Costa Rica's poverty rate is lower than in most Latin American countries, but it has stalled at around 20% for almost two decades.

Costa Rica is a popular regional immigration destination because of its job opportunities and social programs. Almost 9% of the population is foreign-born, with Nicaraguans comprising nearly three-quarters of the foreign population. Many Nicaraguans who perform unskilled seasonal labor enter Costa Rica illegally or overstay their visas, which continues to be a source of tension. Less than 3% of Costa Rica's population lives abroad. The overwhelming majority of expatriates have settled in the United States after completing a university degree or in order to work in a highly skilled field.

Despite being one of the poorest countries in Latin America, Nicaragua has improved its access to potable water and sanitation and has ameliorated its life expectancy, infant and child mortality, and immunization rates. However, income distribution is very uneven, and the poor, agriculturalists, and indigenous people continue to have less access to healthcare services. Nicaragua's total fertility rate has fallen from around 6 children per woman in 1980 to below replacement level today, but the high birth rate among adolescents perpetuates a cycle of poverty and low educational attainment.

Nicaraguans emigrate primarily to Costa Rica and to a lesser extent the United States. Nicaraguan men have been migrating seasonally to Costa Rica to harvest bananas and coffee since the early 20th century. Political turmoil, civil war, and natural disasters from the 1970s through the 1990s dramatically increased the flow of refugees and permanent migrants seeking jobs, higher wages, and better social and healthcare benefits. Since 2000, Nicaraguan emigration to Costa Rica has slowed and stabilized. Today roughly 300,000 Nicaraguans are permanent residents of Costa Rica - about 75% of the foreign population - and thousands more migrate seasonally for work, many illegally.

Contraceptive prevalence rate70.9% (2018)80.4% (2011/12)
Dependency ratiostotal dependency ratio: 45.1

youth dependency ratio: 30.2

elderly dependency ratio: 14.9

potential support ratio: 6.7 (2020 est.)
total dependency ratio: 54.3

youth dependency ratio: 45.5

elderly dependency ratio: 8.8

potential support ratio: 11.4 (2020 est.)

Source: CIA Factbook