POPULATION: Total-5,600,000 (1985)
Annual growth: 2.9% (162,400) (1980- 85)
Doubling time: 27 yrs.
Urban: 39% (1985) (est. for year 2000: 53%)
Rural: 61%
AGE GROUPS: (1980)
18% Jess than 5 yrs.
45% Jess than 15
56% Jess than 20
27% from 20 to 39
12% from 40 to 59
5% 60 yrs. and over
ETHNIC GROUPS
Mestizo: 92%
Indian: 6%
White: 2%
FAMILY
Marital status: (1978)
Common-law: 43%
Female head of household: 22%
Fertility rate: 5.3 (1985)
Births out of wedlock: 69% (1979)
Teenage births: 21% (1982)
Contraception: 48% (1984)
Govemment’ s position on family planning: Has incorporated a national population policy into its general strategy of development, including family planning within its health objectives.
SOCIAL INDICATORS
Life expectancy: 66 yrs. (male: 63; female: 68) (1985)
Infant mortality: 65/1,000 births (1985)
Crude birth rate: 39/1,000 pop. (1985)
Crude death rate: 8/1,000
Health:
Access to health services: no data
Births attended by trained health personnel:
35% (1984)
HOUSING
Persons per household: 5 (1981)
Electricity: 51% without (1981)
Access to safe water: 51% (urban: 67%; rural: 40%) (1983)
Source of water: (1978)
Piped inside: 28%
River: 35%
Weil: 22%
Other: 15%
Toilet facilities: ( 1978)
Flush: 62%
None: 37%
Building materials: (1978)
Adobe: 30%
Cane and earth: 28%
Concrete and concrete-adobe mixture: 23%
Wood: 6%
Straw and other: 13%
EDUCATION
Literacy: 69% (male: 68%; female: 69%) (1980)
Gross enrollrnent ratio: (1983-84)
First level: 70% (completing in 1980-84: 68%)
Second: 24%
Third: 11.9%
Educational attainment, for population 10 yrs. + : (1980)
None: 30%
First level: incomplete: 61%
Second: entered: 7%
Third: 2%
ECONOMIC ACTIVITY
Economically active population: no data
Agriculture: 50% act. pop.; 24% of GDP
Mines: 0% act. pop.; 0% of GDP
Industry: 18% act. pop.; 18% of GDP
Services: 32% act. pop.; 58% of GDP
Per capita GNP: 820 U.S.$ (1985)
Population in absolute poverty: (1977- 84) Urban: 20% Rural: 32%
In 1983, 69.75% of the population lived with less than the minimum salary (300 colones a month);
each economically active person supports 4.3 persons.
National currency/per U.S.$: 2.50 colones (1985)
Principal resources: Coffee, cotton, sugar
COMMUNICATIONS
Radio:
Transmitters: 75 (1979)
Receivers: 1,900,~63/1,000 pop. (1983)
Television:
Receivers: 340,000-65/1,000 pop. (1983)