According to the estimations of the National Institute of Census and Statistics (Spanish acronym: INEC) Costa Rica will receive its 5th million citizen at around 9:27 p.m.

The Social Security Service (C.C.S.S.) is ready to inform of all births registered in the country’s hospitals between 9:20 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.

The calculations of INEC are based solely on births and deaths in the country, it does not consider the migration registers.

Costa Rica’s population reached one million in 1953, by 1977 there were 2 million “Ticos”, just 12 years later in 1989 the population was of 3 million, with the arrival of the XXI century Costa Rica reached 4 million people, and now 18 years later comes citizen 5 million.

“The years that have passed between one and the next million are associated to different growth rhythms. Between 1864 and 1953 to reach the first million, the country had an annual growth rate of 2.4%; and for the second and third million the rates were higher: 2.9% and 3.4% respectively. However, between 1989 and 2000 when the country reaches 4 million inhabitants, there is a deceleration in the growth with an annual rate of 2.6% this deceleration is more evident now that the country will reach 5 million inhabitants, since the annual growth rate is of 1.2%”, explained INEC through a press release.

Costa Rica as many other countries in the world has gone from large families with 5 or more children to families with an average of only two. Part of the reason for this drop in the growth of the population also has to do with the fact that woman now postpone their maternity.