| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 45,000[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| San José, Limón, Nicoya, Puntarenas[2] | |
| Languages | |
| Spanish, Chinese | |
| Religion | |
| Buddhism,[3] Taoism, Roman Catholicism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Chinese people, Asian Latinos |
Chinese people have been immigrating to Costa Rica since the mid-nineteenth century. They come from The People's Republic of China (including the enclaves of Hong Kong and Macao), and from Taiwan. They form one of the main Chinese communities in America; with around 9,000 citizens living in the country (according to the 2011 census)in the Caribbean Basin the size is only surpassed by that of Panama.
This migratory phenomenon presents peaks of waves since the 1850s. Currently, the entry of Chinese to Costa Rica is continuously growing, according to the Office of Remittances and Development of the analyst institution Inter-American Dialogue, this population exceeds 45,000 inhabitants, which positions it as one of the main foreign communities of the Costa Rican population. Historically, both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts and the city of San José have been the poles of concentration of the Asian community in the country.