Question

Write a summary on Costa Rica and migration trends and pattern. Include / Address the following points -

- What is a recent migration trend for Costa Rica?

- Are there any mentions of reasons why people in Costa Rica migrate?

- Other interesting information?

Answer 1

Costa Rica has a stable economy and a relatively high standard of living. Actually its economy depends mainly in tourism, which is a rapidly expanding industry, agriculture, and electronic components exports. Costa Rica's major economic resources are its fertile land and frequent rainfall, its well-educated population, and its strategic location in the Central American isthmus, which provides easy access to North and South American markets and direct ocean access to the European and Asian Continents. One-fourth of Costa Rica's land is dedicated to national reserved forests, often adjoining picturesque beaches, which has made the country a popular destination for affluent retirees and ecotourists.

In recent years, Costa Rica has become an origin, destination, and transit migration country. Costa Rican migration has steadily increased from the first decade of the century, for different reasons and factors: economic restructuring, proletarianization of the peasantry, limited conditions of the Costa Rican peasant sector, the search for labor opportunities and economic instability in the country. Costa Rica is a transit country for migrants heading to the United States. Costa Rica net migration rate was at level of 0.83 migrants per thousand population in 2015, down from 1.37 migrants per thousand population in 2010, this is a change of 39.08%.

Costa Rica is characterised by both immigration and emigration flows. Immigrants, mainly from neighbouring countries and particularly Nicaragua, constitute an important part of the population and workforce. Emigration from Costa Rica has also been on the rise since the late 1990s (OECD, 2016). It is estimated that more than 130 000 Costa Ricans live abroad, sending home over USD 500 million in remittances in 2015. While immigrants are mainly low-skilled, emigrants – particularly those leaving to the United States – are in general highly skilled (OECD, 2009). Despite being a net immigration country, Costa Rica also has significant emigration outflows, mainly to the United States.

Figure 2.2. Emigrant numbers are steadily increasing Stock of emigrants, 1990-2015 140 000 128 869 133 185 120 000 103 973 100 000 80 000 69 488 60 000 40 000 20 000 1990 2000 2010 2015 Source: UN DESA (2015), International Migration Stock: The 2015 Revision, (database), www.un.org/en/development/desa/ population/migration/data/estimates2/estimates15.shtml.

Table 2.1. The United States is by far the most popular destination country for Costa Rican emigrants Number and share of emigrants by most popular migration destination countries Countries Share of total emigrants (%) 2015 64.5 8.1 5.7 The United States Nicaragua Panama Canada Spain Mexico Germany Italy Guatemala Venezuela Number of emigrants 1990 2015 43 530 85 924 5959 10 772 3 919 7 760 1 304 5 039 644 3 339 2 088 2 468 1 891 516 1 508 758 1 162 1 661 1 127 92 1.4 1.1 0.9 0.8 Source: UN DESA (2015), International Migration Stock: The 2015 Revision, (database), www.un.org/en/ development/desa/population/migration/data/estimates2/estimates15.shtml.

Table 2.2. Costa Rica has the highest share of return migration among countries where information on return is available Number and share of return migrants as share of emigrant stock (%) in six Latin American countries Country Census year Number of return migrants Return migrants as share of emigrant stock (%) Brazil 2011 54 608 4.6 Costa Rica 2010 17 682 15.4 Ecuador 2010 72 272 Mexico 2010 860 707 Panama 2010 8756 Uruguay 2011 17 280 7 7.2 Note: Return migration for Mexico includes forced return. Source: CEPAL (2014).

Costa Rica has the lowest share of emigrants across all partner countries in the IPPMD study (OECD, 2017). It is also has the smallest share of remittances in relation to gross domestic product (GDP), at about 1.1% (Figure 2.3). However, with the exception of the 2009 economic crises and the years that followed, remittances have in general been increasing over time. In 2015, the country received USD 552 million from emigrants abroad

Costa Rica is a net immigration country in a region mainly characterised by emigration. Immigrants constitute a significant part of the country’s population and labour force. At the same time, emigration flows have also been on the rise in recent decades. Both inflows and outflows are mainly driven by employment. Immigrants, mainly from Nicaragua, are in general low-skilled and work in primary sectors such as construction and agriculture, while emigrants tend to be more highly-skilled and leave to seek employment mainly in the United States. The high representation of immigrants in the population and labour force has slowly generated a shift in Costa Rica’s migration policy – from primarily focusing on securitisation and border control to one of immigrant integration and the nexus between migration and development. However, the importance of migration for development is not fully reflected in the country’s policy framework, and immigrants still face barriers in access to social services.