Religion in Costa Rica is extremely visible. Religious icons and symbols can be found in all public buildings, in all public transportation vehicles, and in almost every home in Costa Rica. At first glance, one might think that Costa Ricans are deeply religious people, but their religion is mostly symbolic in nature and secularism is rampant.



Ninety percent of Costa Ricans claim to be Catholic. Another ten percent identify as being Protestant, Buddhist, Islamic, or other. But as overwhelmingly dominant as the Catholic Church's presence in Costa Rica, it has little influence over the people who confess to follow its teachings.

Costa Ricans are a highly secular people. In fact, most religious holidays are viewed as a time to revel in secular activities rather than religious ones. In fact, most families schedule vacations during leave granted from work to observe religious holidays instead of attending church services. And while every village, town, and city has a Catholic church, church services are rarely attended by the masses except for important occasions throughout the year such as baptisms, weddings, and funerals.

Church and state are separate in Costa Rica and any attempt made to the contrary is vehemently defended by the people. The one exception of this is the state's refusal to recognize any marriage that is not performed in the Catholic religion. While antiquated in nature the law will probably not be repealed any time soon. The majority of the population identifies as Catholic even though they don't openly practice the religion. This makes it impossible for any reform to take place as the number of people who protest the law is small in number.

As the number of immigrants to Costa Rica continues to grow, changes on the religious front are highly likely. And since Costa Ricans adhere to Catholicism purely out of habit, they are unlikely to object to any religious revolution within the country. They might, in fact, welcome it.

by David Lovendahl, Costa Vista Marketing