Christianity is the predominant religion in Costa Rica, with Catholicism being its largest denomination. Catholicism is also the state religion, but the government generally upholds people's religious freedom in practice.
Established religion
Catholicism is the official state religion and is entitled to state support according to the 1949 Constitution, which at the same time guarantees freedom of religion. It is the only state in the Americas with a state religion and one of the few Western countries which established Catholicism as its state religion; other such countries are microstates in Europe: Liechtenstein, Monaco, Vatican City and Malta.
The Constitution also forbids in its 28 article the use of religious feelings for electoral purposes, prohibition also contemplated in the Electoral Code. In theory, religious-based parties are banned since 1889 (precisely as a way to ban the then Church-endorsed Catholic Union party), however in practice Evangelical parties do exists, with its base mostly extracted from and directed toward the neo-Pentecostal community. The Supreme Electoral Tribunal has ruled that their existence is allowed as long as they do not use religion directly in their propaganda (which is what the Constitution forbids), however this provision has not always been fulfilled and the TSE has sanctioned certain campaigns for the use of religion in them.
The Constitution also limits the possibility for members of the clergy to be elected, as some of the requirements to be President, Vice-president, Minister or Justice is to be a layperson. Recent rulings from the Constitutional Court established that, as only the Catholic Church is official and the other religions are not regulated by it or the law, this prohibition applies only to Catholic priests, thus the clergy from other religions like Protestant pastors, Orthodox priests, rabbis, Buddhist monks, etc., in theory, can be candidates to these offices.
There is no law regulating religious bodies in Costa Rica. The Electoral code reinforces the constitutional prohibition of using religious propaganda and the Labor Code establishes the right from non-Catholics to have their respective religious holidays exchange from one of the national holidays and/or their vacations, which the employer has to comply. However, there is no specific legislation that regulates religions. The Associations’ Law establishes the existence of "religious association" and some religions register as such, but this status has no notable difference from any other form of Association, and many religions also prefer the “cultural association” registry.
Being registered as a religion does not provide any special responsibility nor any legal advantage and is not mandatory for private or public practice as far as other laws are not broken. Only the Catholic Church can be tax exempt, only the Catholic Church can receive state funds and property transferrals and only its marriages are legal without the need of a lawyer. Most religions register as association (whether cultural or religious) to be legally capable of hiring personal and own properties, however this is not mandatory and small religious groups like small neo-Pagan covens or new religious movements do not register at all and are allowed to practice as far as they do not disrupt public order or general legislation.
Currently a bill endorsed by the Evangelical parties in the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica named "Freedom of Religion and Cult Act" is under discussion in one of the committees. The bill expects to regulate religions and give non-Catholic churches (but excluding non-Christian religions) certain rights and privileges that the Catholic Church enjoys including performing legal marriages and receive state funds. However the bill has opposition both from the Catholic Church and the more secular and non-religious population although for different reasons, the Episcopal Conference fear it will affect the Catholic Church, whilst secularists advocate for an absolute secular state with no official religion at all. The bill has also been criticized for excluding the non-Christian religions and being tailor-made for the Evangelical Churches.
Demographics
According to CID-Gallup surveys, in 2003 around 68% was Catholic, 17% was Protestants, 12% irreligious and 3% other religions. In November 2012, there were not any significant changes in religious affiliation, with the new demographics being 63% Catholic, 24% Protestant, 10% irreligious and other remain at 3% of population. Christian population growth from 85 to 87% in 2000's decade. Other surveys found gradual changes on religious affiliation after 2012.
The Latinobarómetro survey of 2017 found that 57% of the population identify themselves as Catholics, 25% are Protestants, 15% report that they do not have a religion, and 3% declare that they belong to another religion. Note that Evangélicos in Spanish usually means Protestants and not just Evangelical Protestants. A March 2018 survey by the Center for Investigations and Political Studies of the University of Costa Rica estimated that 52% of ticos were Catholic (72.8% in 2013), 22% Protestant (14.8% in 2013), 3.0% other religion (3.6% in 2013) and 17% had no religious affiliation (8.4% in 2013).
The 2021 poll by the University of Costa Rica noted a reduction in both Catholic and Evangelical practice reducing both to 47 and 19% respectively, with non-religious increasing from 17 to 27%. Traditional Protestants, Mormons, Jehovah's Witness and Muslims appear for the first time in polls with 1, 0.3, 0.2 and 0.1% respectively.
According to statistical studies done by the University of Costa Rica, among those over 55 Catholicism is more prominent, with 65% of this population considering themselves Catholic, followed by 19% evangelical and only 7% is without religion, among adults of 34 to 54 years Catholicism falls to 53%, while Protestantism rises to 24% and irreligion to 14%, and finally among young people aged 18 to 34 is where the number of irreligious is more prominent, being 27% and even surpassing the evangelicals that pass to 22% and the Catholics are reduced to 42%.
By sex, the Catholic population is equal between men and women in 52%, 26% of women are evangelical compared to 19% of men and conversely 19% of men left religion in front of 14% of women.
In terms of studies, 54% of the population with only complete primary education is Catholic, 26% Protestant and 11% without creed, 44% of those with complete secondary education are Catholic, followed by 23% evangelicals and 21% atheists/agnostics. Of those who have university studies 59% are Catholic, 22% agnostic/atheist and only 12% evangelical, so although Catholics are the majority in all academic degrees, evangelicals are more among those who have basic education and the irreligious among those who have higher education.
Social and political positions
A 2013-2014 study using focus groups divided in six stages; Practicing Catholics, non-Practicing Catholics, Irreligious, Historical Protestants, Neo-Pentecostal and "Others" (which included representatives from Islam, Baháʼí Faith, three branches of Buddhism –Tibetan, Zen and Nichiren-, Taoism, Brahma Kumaris and New Age) showed different position regarding moral, political and social issues.
Practicing Catholics, historical Protestants and neo-Pentecostals opposed abortion in almost all circumstances, even in cases of mother's life danger (although Protestants accepted it in such extremes circumstances with medical diagnosis and after praying), whilst non-practicing Catholics and Others were more open to different forms of abortion including for therapeutic reasons, pregnancy by rape (particularly in cases involving minors) and no extra uterine life possibility. Only non-religious were mostly in favor of free abortion on women's request.
Practicing Catholics and the two types of Protestants were much more morally and sexually conservative, frowning upon sex outside marriage and divorce. Protestants accepted divorcees but did not allow them to have high ranks in their churches whilst Catholics considered divorced couples as "couples under special circumstances". Non-practicing Catholics, non-religious and Others express full acceptance of divorcees. Practicing Catholics were the only group that opposed any kind of non-natural birth control. Practicing Catholics, Protestants and Evangelicals questioned the Ministry of Education's sex education programs fearing it lacked spiritual content and express support for abstinence-only education, all other groups supported the Ministry's sex education programs.
Both practicing Catholics and Protestants (both historic and neo-Pentecostal) consider homosexuality a sin and the product of a mental health problem that can be cured, whilst Irreligious, non-Practicing Catholics and Others were more supportive of LGBTI-rights, oppose discrimination and mostly consider it a natural condition.
All groups except irreligious expressed that the moral values of the candidate are important for their support during elections.
And finally, practicing Catholics, historical Protestants and neo-Pentecostals opposed laicism and reforming the Constitution to be a secular state supporting the Catholic Church as state religion. Despite the fact that neo-Pentecostals are not part of the state religion, they saw confessionalism as a protection against secularism which they consider a previous step before state atheism. Historical Protestants were less wary of laicism but prefer an official religion, however they express that Christianity should be the state religion and not Catholicism. Non-practicing Catholics, non-religious people and all the religious minorities express they support of the secular state.
History
Pre-Columbian religions in what is today Costa Rica were mostly animistic, polytheistic and shamanistic. Shamans had an important cultural, societal and political role as well as a religious one. The main deity of the Bribri and Chorotega people is Sibö (creator god and culture hero) and as animistic religions they believe in nature spirits and elementals alongside a wide pantheon of gods. Shamans and healers are chosen according to the Bribri caste system and came from the same families.
The Nicoyans worshiped a trinity encompassed by the creator god Tipotani, the solar god Nembithía and the lunar goddess Ninguitamalí, however later northern influence mostly from the Mexicas made popular the Aztec deities and the practice of cannibalistic human sacrifices.
Several animals like the bat, the macaw, the jaguar, the crocodile and the serpent were consider sacred.
During colonial times the Catholic Church in Costa Rica did not have as much power and influence as in other parts of the Spanish Empire as Costa Rica was one of the poorer and more rural provinces, far from its local capital, thus the Catholic hierarchy had little interest in it. This may have shaped the political and cultural aspects of Costa Rica which may explain phenomenons such as the liberal hegemony and lack of conservative-liberal wars uncommon in Latin America.
After the independence of Central America, Costa Rica temporarily kept the Spanish Empire's Cadiz Constitution in place, with their articles about religion intact. Costa Rica's first constitution, the Pact of Concord established the Catholic religion as the one that "is and always would be" of the land and banned any other religion, except in the case of foreigners who were there for transit or commerce and who could practice their religion freely as far as they do not proselytize.