Q COSTA RICA —Fertility in Costa Rica is projected to reach 1.12 children per woman in 2026, down from the previously forecast 1.20. This estimate comes from the Central American Population Center at the University of Costa Rica (UCR).

The Civil Registry recorded 48,414 births in 2025—the lowest number since 2016. This figure is part of a downward trend that is also driving a decline in school enrollment.

The decision to have children is linked to economic, social, and family factors. Changes helping to explain this decline include the postponement of the first birth, a preference for smaller households, and the choice to remain child-free.

Arodys Robles, a researcher at the Central American Population Center, said that people weigh material and social conditions before deciding to expand their families. Factors such as childcare options, the division of household chores, working conditions, and the resources needed to raise children all play a role in this assessment.

“In general, it comes down to an assessment of the conditions under which children will be born and raised,” Robles stated. The researcher explained that the context in which child-rearing takes place influences both the decision to have children and the timing of that decision.

A decline in fertility does not necessarily mean that women want fewer children in every case.

Some do not reach their desired family size due to the prevailing economic and social conditions in their environment, the specialist noted.

“There are also women who cannot have the children they want because current economic and social conditions do not allow it,” Robles noted to the media outlet. The situation involves both personal preferences and the practical ability to support child-rearing.

The rate of the decline in births could alter demographic projections.

Jorge Barquero, also a researcher at the UCR, stated that the decline recorded in 2025 had been anticipated by specialists. The drop in births was not unexpected, although the speed at which it is occurring might necessitate a revision of calculations prepared in conjunction with the Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INEC)—National Institute of Statistics and Census.

“We are not surprised that 2025 shows a decrease in the number of births. This is something we already knew about and had foreseen,” Barquero explained to the publication. Demographic projections may require adjustments if the trend continues at a pace different from the one assumed when they were originally drafted.

Gilbert Brenes, a researcher at the same institution, warned that international experience shows it is difficult to recover the fertility levels of previous decades once indicators fall to very low values. The specialist linked this scenario to shifts in social values, the labor market, and the conditions under which women make decisions regarding motherhood.

“Even if there are policies promoting higher birth rates, they might do little to reverse or impact the trend observed over the last few decades,” Brenes said. His argument suggests that measures aimed at boosting birth rates would have limited effects in the face of long-term social and economic transformations.

The slowdown in fertility is also reflected in the country’s population growth. Costa Rica reached a population of four million in 2001 and hit five million in 2018—an increase that took 17 years.

Projections by the INEC place the milestone of six million inhabitants around 2045. This next increase of one million people would take 27 years from the time the country reached the five-million mark.

Q COSTA RICA — Costa Rican authorities are urging families to watch for behavioral changes in children after warning that people investigated for sexual offenses against minors are often relatives, family acquaintances, or others within the victim’s immediate circle.

The warning follows a 48-year prison sentence imposed by the Heredia Criminal Court on a man identified by the surname Ávila. He was convicted of sexual offenses against two girls whose step-grandfather he was.

Prosecutors established that the offenses against one child took place between January 2021 and 2022. The crimes against the second girl occurred between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31, 2024, in La Milpa, a community in Guararí de Heredia.

The case highlights a pattern identified by Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ)—Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Agency. Investigators say suspected offenders frequently have an existing relationship with victims or their families. Such proximity can provide access to children without immediately raising suspicion.

Roberto Pérez, an investigator with the OIJ unit specializing in gender violence, human trafficking and migrant smuggling, said there is no single profile that applies to sexual offenders. Complaints repeatedly show, though, that suspects are known to the children or belong to their families’ social circles.

That prior trust can lower the guard of parents, guardians and other caregivers, authorities said. It can also make it easier for an offender to approach a child and conceal abusive behavior.

Official figures show the scale of the problem. The Ministerio Público—Costa Rica’s Public Prosecutor’s Office—recorded 7,409 cases of sexual abuse involving minors and people with disabilities in 2024, based on data from the Observatorio de Violencia de Género contra las Mujeres y Acceso a la Justicia (Observatory on Gender Violence Against Women and Access to Justice). Women and girls accounted for 6,227 recorded victims, while 1,182 were men or boys.

Behavioral Changes May Signal Abuse

Authorities advised caregivers to pay close attention to sudden changes in a child’s behavior. Possible warning signs include sexual knowledge or vocabulary that does not correspond with the child’s age, sexualized play, and hypersexualized conduct.

Other signs may include withdrawal, fear of particular adults, resistance to visiting certain places, and abrupt mood changes. An unexplained decline in school performance may also warrant attention.

Sleep disturbances—including recurring nightmares, insomnia, fear of sleeping or reluctance to be alone—can be another indication that something is wrong. Changes in eating habits, such as loss of appetite, rejection of previously enjoyed foods or excessive eating, may also require closer examination.

Officials cautioned that these behaviors should be treated as warning signs rather than proof of abuse. Their appearance can give responsible adults a reason to listen carefully, ask appropriate questions and seek professional or institutional assistance.

If a child discloses possible abuse, Pérez said the first response should be to listen. Adults should not leave the child to face the situation alone, particularly when the alleged offender may be someone close to the family.

The suspected abuse should then be reported to authorities so the appropriate institutions can assess the allegations and determine what protective and investigative measures are needed.

The Ávila case shows how a family relationship can be used to gain proximity to victims. For Costa Rican investigators, it also carries a wider lesson: familiarity should never replace vigilance when a child’s safety may be at risk.

Q COSTA RICA — The Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (CCSS)—Costa Rica’s Social Security Fund— has pledged to resolve salary delays affecting 482 employees after administrative failures contributed to a nationwide strike that forced hospitals to suspend 216 surgeries and hundreds of other medical appointments.

The Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social, known by its Spanish initials CCSS or Caja, said the payment problems were linked to irregularities in employee appointments detected during the introduction of its Integrated Personnel Management System, or SIPe. The platform began operating in July 2026.

Some affected employees could accumulate nearly three months of unpaid wages before their cases are resolved, according to Infobae.

CCSS Executive President Mónica Taylor acknowledged the severity of the disruption and said the institution must examine and settle each case individually.

“A single worker not receiving their salary on time represents a problem for the institution,” Taylor said.

Officials reported that payments for 381 of the 482 affected workers had already been processed and should be brought up to date during the first payroll period in October. The remaining 101 cases are expected to be resolved by the second half of October.

The Caja also plans to create 482 positions to formalize the workers’ employment status. Until those positions are established, their wages will have to be processed through alternative payment procedures.

The new personnel system exposed an administrative arrangement described as “nonexistent leave coverage,” under which substitutes were appointed to cover employees listed as being on leave even when the records did not reflect their actual status.

The problem extends beyond the cases already identified. A review conducted at Hospital México uncovered 1,600 pending administrative requests. In some instances, appointments had not been entered into the personnel system by department supervisors or human resources units, preventing salaries from being processed.

“We have to put our house in order,” Taylor said, adding that the difficulties also reflected long-standing administrative problems within medical facilities.

Teams from the CCSS personnel administration division and medical management office will visit affected facilities to review outstanding cases. Officials said they aim to complete the payments before the annual bonus calculation period so employees do not suffer additional financial losses.

Strike Disrupted Major Hospitals

The salary dispute contributed to a strike involving 5,685 Caja workers, including 3,061 nursing staff. CCSS figures showed that 95.4% of participants had received payments during the previous four biweekly pay periods, prompting administrators to question the participation of some workers.

Taylor said the CCSS would review individual circumstances that may have justified employees joining the protest. No decision has yet been made on possible disciplinary measures.

The walkout had its greatest effect at Costa Rica’s major national hospitals. Medical manager Marvin Palma Lozano said 216 surgeries, more than 100 medical procedures and about 350 specialist consultations were suspended. Canceled services included colonoscopies, ultrasounds and gastroscopies.

Hospital San Juan de Dios recorded 950 striking employees, while 569 joined the protest at Hospital Calderón Guardia and 402 at Hospital México. The Atlantic and Chorotega regions (Guanacaste and Nicoya Peninsula) experienced less disruption.

Taylor said only one nurse was available to cover the entire emergency department during the third shift at Hospital Calderón Guardia, a highly complex, Class A public teaching hospital located northeast of downtown San José, Costa Rica. Contingency measures prevented irreversible harm, she added.

Hospitals Begin Rescheduling Care

The CCSS has introduced a recovery plan for the canceled services, promising to prevent patients from facing delays beyond those already caused by the strike.

Medical teams will assess patients individually and consider the seriousness of each case when setting new treatment dates. Hospitals in Alajuela and Heredia, along with Hospital Calderón Guardia, have already begun rescheduling appointments.

Officials expect the postponed surgeries to be completed within 15 to 22 days. Diagnostic procedures and specialist consultations should be recovered during the following month. The institution may authorize additional shifts at some facilities to meet those targets.

CCSS officials also suspended a new set of rules governing overtime pay after workers raised concerns.

Q COSTA RICA — Costa Rica ended 2025 with the lowest number of registered births in a decade—a drop that confirms the rapid demographic shift already beginning to be felt in schools.

The Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones (TSE)—Supreme Electoral Tribunal—Costa Rica’s top constitutional body responsible for running elections and managing the national civil registry, reported on Wednesday that the Civil Registry recorded 48,414 births during 2025.

In 2016, it had recorded 72,347.

The difference is 23,933 registrations, equivalent to a 33.1% decrease.

The data refer to births registered with the Civil Registry during each year, not necessarily to all children born within that same period.

Following the 72,347 registrations in 2016, the figure remained above 71,000 during 2017 and 2018. From then on, the decline accelerated: it fell to 66,758 in 2019 and to 59,286 in 2020.

That drop of 7,472 registrations between 2019 and 2020 was the largest year-over-year decrease recorded during the period analyzed.

The trend continued after the pandemic. Between 2021 and 2025, registered births fell by 9,473, equivalent to 16.4%.

Fewer Children and Rising Demographic Pressure

A recent report by El Observador, based on data from the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (INEC), revealed that the country has 180,220 fewer children than it did ten years ago.

In 2016, Costa Rica had a population of 974,838 children aged 0 to 12. By 2026, that figure had dropped to 794,618, causing this group’s share of the total population to fall from 20% to 15.2%.

The INEC projects that by 2036, the population in this age group will decline to 607,548—equivalent to 11.3% of the country’s inhabitants.

This shift is already impacting the education system. Enrollment dropped by approximately 35,000 students between 2025 and 2026, as the Minister of Public Education, Leonardo Sánchez, explained in early September.

The minister also noted that the decline in student numbers led to the closure of some 14 or 15 schools during 2026, primarily single-teacher schools.

Postponing Motherhood

The decline in births coincides with a drop in fertility rates and the decision by many women to delay motherhood.

A report by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) estimated that Costa Rica recorded a total fertility rate of 1.32 children per woman in 2024. This figure is well below the generational replacement level, which stands at approximately 2.1 children per woman.

ECLAC classifies a rate of 1.3 children per woman or lower as “ultra-low,” meaning Costa Rica is just above that threshold.

Over the last decade, the average age at which women become mothers rose from 23.3 to 25.6 years, according to INEC data previously cited by El Observador.

Specialists consulted by this outlet attributed the postponement of motherhood to factors such as the cost of living, child-rearing expenses, difficulties in accessing housing, the unequal distribution of caregiving duties, and the priority women place on their education and professional development.

Over 600,000 Registrations

Between 2016 and 2025, the Civil Registry recorded 607,328 births: 309,288 boys and 298,040 girls. This represents a distribution of 51% and 49%, respectively.

San José accounted for the highest number of registrations during the decade, with 212,425, while Heredia recorded the lowest figure, with 42,014. These are absolute numbers, not rates calculated based on each province’s population.

The TSE also noted that January saw the highest number of registrations, while December saw the lowest. This figure reflects when the births were registered, not necessarily the month in which they occurred. As of July 2026, the Civil Registry had recorded 28,880 births: 14,889 males and 13,991 females. San José had the highest number of registrations, and Heredia the lowest.

This figure covers the first seven months of the year.

Q COSTA RICA — On September 14, the country celebrated patriotic events, with Cartago serving as the focal point for the arrival of the “Antorcha de la Libertad” (Freedom Torch)—a tradition dating back 205 years.

However, what was not customary were the police blockades, shutting out Costa Ricans who wished to gather in the Plaza Mayor with their “faroles” (lanterns), intending to raise their voices for democracy.

Police demanded identification from anyone wishing to enter the cordoned-off area; those perceived as opposing the government were denied entry and told to remain on the street.

Adding to the controversy were the actions and words of former president and Minister of the Presidency and Finance, Rodrigo Chaves, who dismissed and mocked protestors questioning the government controls.

A group of about 200 ‘Chavista’ supporters was allowed to set up in the Plaza, where they shouted insults at journalists, citizens, and members of various organizations.

Participants in the traditional lantern parade claimed this group had been bused in from other parts of the country:

“They were brought in on paid buses, and they are the only ones allowed at the official ceremony,” recounted one participant who preferred to remain anonymous.

Evelyn Obando, a citizen who had come to take part in the lantern parade in Cartago, stated that she was barred from entering with her lantern because it bore the message “Costa Rica libre, democrática y solidaria” (Free, democratic, and solidary Costa Rica)—a message the Fuerza Pública (National Police) deemed unsuitable for the event.

Obando claimed a police officer told her the order had been issued by the Minister of Security, Gerald Campos.

At one point during the event—while the Government Council (Cabinet) meeting was underway—hundreds of citizens seeking to enter the Plaza Mayor began shouting slogans at the police line, such as “Déjennos pasar” (Let us through).

They continued for several minutes until they managed to break through, at which point the chants shifted to “El Pueblo Unido, jamás será vencido”(The people united will never be defeated), “Fuera Laura” (Out with Laura Fernández), “Fuera Chaves” (Out with Chaves), “Fuera Dictador” (Dictator out) and “Páguenle a la Caja” (Pay the Caja), a reference to the multi-billion colones debt the government owes the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social.

For her part, Janice Sandí—a legislator from Cartago representing the Partido Liberación Nacional (PLN)—described it as “unacceptable to use the Fuerza Pública—whose sole mission should be to guarantee the safety and peace of the citizenry—to lay siege to our province, intimidate entire families, and block the path of those who peacefully marched for peace and democracy. State force is not meant to intimidate a people celebrating with civic spirit; fear can never silence the voice of a citizenry demanding respect.”

Despite attempts to project national division regarding the province of Cartago, Costa Ricans across the rest of the country participated in the lantern parades; the call to action focused on 26 specific locations throughout the national territory.

The slogan was clear and concise: “Por un país más justo, más libre y más democrático” (For a fairer, freer, and more democratic country), and despite the rain, the demonstrators turned out in force.

Q COSTA RICA — Limón could become the site of the Quantum AI Free Zone Campus, a data center complex, the country’s first data center specifically designed for artificial intelligence (AI) and hyperscale computing.

The campus will be built on approximately 42 hectares. Business representatives promoting the initiative presented the proposal to Limón Mayor Ana Matarrita McCalla. According to the mayor, Quantum has been operating in the canton for about a decade in other sectors.

Construction will take place in three phases. The first phase, with a capacity of 50MW, includes the development of two data centers—DC1 and DC2—along with a 230kV electrical substation, water treatment facilities and other supporting infrastructure.

The second phase will add three more buildings—DC3, DC4 and DC5—bringing the campus’s total capacity to 125MW. The final phase will include DC6 and DC7, taking the complex to its planned maximum capacity of 200MW across seven data centers. According to the Limón municipality, the project is expected to be completed by the end of 2027.

Quantum AI Free Zone Campus is intended to support technologically intensive operations, including artificial intelligence training and inference, GPU cloud services, sovereign computing and high-performance computing. The project will also feature centralized cooling, water treatment and wastewater treatment systems. Its website estimates that the campus will require a water supply of 350 liters per second.

The proposal also calls for the development of protected, redundant connections with the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE). These routes would link the campus to the CRIX internet traffic exchange and to the international submarine cable systems serving Limón, including TAM-1, AMX-1 and ARCOS-1. The campus is also expected to have fiber connectivity from multiple providers.

The project would operate under Costa Rica’s free trade zone regime. Potential incentives include exemptions from income tax, customs duties on imported equipment, value-added tax and property tax during the applicable incentive period.

The proposal comes as Costa Rica’s data center industry enters a period of expansion, though existing projects remain considerably smaller than the Quantum AI Free Zone Campus. IFX Networks operates four data centers in the country with a combined capacity of 500 racks and 5MW. The company is evaluating an expansion and the construction of a fifth facility this year as part of a regional investment plan worth more than US$400 million for 2026 and 2027.

In April, Costa Rican company Navégalo received DCOS-3 Tier III certification for its data center in San José, which has an approximate capacity of 5MW.

The sector is also becoming more organized institutionally. In March, the Central American Association of Data Centers and Data Technology (ACEDAC) was established, bringing together companies including Ingenium, Icrea, Edgenet Data Technologies, UnitedTec, Isertec and Grupo UPS.

Separately, the Costa Rican Chamber of Infocommunication and Technology, known as Infocom, recently formed a special commission to coordinate the development of artificial intelligence and data centers in Costa Rica. The organization represents companies such as Claro, Tigo, Liberty, Ufinet and Trans Americas Fiber, and said the commission would operate according to principles of technological neutrality.

Q COSTA RICA — Costa Rica’s Ministry of Finance has launched an administrative process that could result in the dismissal of 36 officials accused of using software to create the appearance of performing their duties while working from home.

The investigation focuses on the alleged use of a software tool designed to simulate work activity during remote work shifts. The mechanism reportedly generated signals indicating that computers remained active, even though the officials were not necessarily performing their tasks, according to published reports.

The procedure does not yet constitute a final decision. The employees involved must go through the relevant stages of the administrative process and have the right to present their arguments and evidence before authorities reach a resolution.

The case has reignited the debate regarding oversight of remote work within Costa Rican public institutions.

Remote work arrangements require mechanisms to verify the fulfillment of objectives and schedules without relying solely on computer-logged activity.

Any potential dismissal will depend on the investigation’s findings and an individual assessment of each case file.

Until a final resolution is reached, the officials retain their right to a defense and are considered only allegedly responsible for the conduct under investigation.

Read more: It Takes At Least Six Months To Fire A Corrupt Public Employee In Costa Rica

Firing a public employee in Costa Rica

While it is a common perception that it is impossible to fire public employees in Costa Rica, it is legally possible, though highly regulated and structurally complex. Public employment rules are governed by a different set of protections than the private sector, designed specifically to safeguard civil servants from arbitrary political dismissals

Public employees can be terminated without severance if they violate major rules laid out in Article 81 of the Costa Rica Labor Code or specific institutional statutes. Grounds for dismissal may include abandoning their duties, committing gross negligence, reporting to work while intoxicated, or engaging in criminal conduct.

Unlike private employers, which can generally terminate a worker by paying the required severance, public institutions must comply with a comprehensive administrative disciplinary process. If a government agency fails to follow the proper procedure or unlawfully dismisses an employee, the courts may order reinstatement, back pay, and compensation for damages.

You often hear people say that having a government job in Costa Rica is better than winning the lottery.