Costa Rica: Culture and Society

Costa Rica has a population of roughly five million people, the majority of Spanish and mixed European descent alongside smaller Indigenous, Afro-Costa Rican, and immigrant communities concentrated along the Caribbean coast. Spanish is the official and dominant language, and the population is predominantly Roman Catholic, though evangelical Protestant denominations have grown substantially in recent decades and religious practice coexists with a broadly secular public life.

The country is known for its early and sustained investment in public education and healthcare, its abolition of a standing military in 1948, and a strong national identity built around environmental stewardship, with a substantial share of its territory under protected conservation status. Costa Rican culture reflects this emphasis on stability and quality of life, expressed in the widely used phrase "pura vida," alongside regional folk traditions, marimba music, and a cuisine centered on rice, beans, and tropical produce.