Costa Rica's basically stable economy depends on tourism, agriculture, and electronics exports. Poverty has been substantially reduced over the past 15 years, and a strong social safety net has been put into place. Foreign investors remain attracted by the country's political stability and high education levels, and tourism continues to bring in foreign exchange. However, traditional export sectors have not kept pace. Low coffee prices and an overabundance of bananas have hurt the agricultural sector. The government continues to grapple with its large deficit and massive internal debt and with the need to modernize the state-owned electricity and telecommunications sector.
Industry:
microprocessors, food processing, textiles and clothing, construction materials, fertilizer, plastic products
Ethnicgroups:
white (including mestizo) 94%, black 3%, Amerindian 1%, Chinese 1%, other 1%
Vaccination requirements:
No vaccination requirements for any international traveller.
Malaria:
Malaria risk-—almost exclusively due to P. vivax—is moderate throughout the year in the cantons of Los Chiles (Alajuela Province) and Matina and Talamanca (Limón Province). Lower transmission risk exists in cantons in the provinces of Alajuela, Guanacaste and Heredia, and in other cantons in Limón Province. Negligible or no risk of malaria transmission exists in the other cantons of the country.
