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Birth
Rate Plummets
There were 71,548 births in
Costa Rica in 2005, 699 less
than in 2004, confirming the
plummeting of the birthrate.
Thus, while in 2004 there were
17 births per 1,000 inhabitants,
the figure was 16 in 2005, a far
cry from the 20 recorded five
years earlier.
This birthrate places Costa Rica
close to Latin American
countries such as Chile – with a
projected 15 births per 1,000
inhabitants for the year 2005 –
or Argentina (17.5), but far
from Guatemala (34.1) and
Honduras (30.3).
While in 1985 each mother
averaged almost 4 children, now
the average is 2, and the figure
is expected to be 1.7 children
by the year 2015.
However, according to National
Statistics and Census Bureau
officials such as assistant
manager Maria Elena Gonzalez,
the trend will change in the
year 2015, when the rate will
increase and will remain at
least at the current 2 children
per mother.
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