Religion in Costa Rica: Main Faiths, Holidays and Customs

Every Costa Rican town is built around a church and a soccer field, and that tells you something. Religion still shapes the calendar, the language and the biggest gatherings of the year, even as the country’s faith picture changes fast.

Roman Catholicism is the main religion in Costa Rica and the official state religion under the constitution, but the country is far less Catholic than it used to be. In a National University (UNA) survey conducted in late 2024, about half of Costa Ricans identified as Catholic, about 31% as evangelical Protestant and 16% as believers with no religion. The constitution protects freedom of worship, and smaller communities of Jews, Muslims, Latter-day Saints, Jehovah’s Witnesses and others practice openly.

This guide covers the main religions in Costa Rica, how faith shows up in daily life and holidays, and what travelers should know when visiting churches or traveling during religious festivals.

The basics

What Is the Main Religion in Costa Rica?

Catholicism arrived with the Spanish in the 1500s and remains the country’s largest faith. Article 75 of the constitution names the Roman Catholic Apostolic religion as the religion of the state, which contributes to its maintenance, while guaranteeing the free exercise of other faiths. In practice, that means the Catholic Church receives some state support and Catholic marriages are recognized automatically, while Catholic clergy cannot serve as president or in certain other high offices.

The numbers have shifted quickly. A University of Costa Rica survey in 2016 still found 72% of Costa Ricans calling themselves Catholic. By the 2024 UNA survey, the figure had dropped to about half, and among adults 18 to 24, evangelicals (41%) outnumbered Catholics (35%). Cartago, home of the national basilica, remains the most Catholic province, with about 68% identifying as Catholic.

Catholicism

Catholicism in Costa Rican Life

Even Costa Ricans who rarely attend Mass grow up inside Catholic traditions. Every town has a patron saint, and its fiestas patronales mix a Mass and procession with carnival rides, food stands, topes (horse parades) and bull riding. Baptisms, first communions and funerals are major family events.

La Negrita and the Romería

Costa Rica’s patron saint is the Virgen de los Ángeles, a small dark stone figure known as La Negrita. According to tradition, a young woman named Juana Pereira found it on Aug. 2, 1635, near the site of today’s Basilica of Our Lady of the Angels in Cartago. Every year, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims walk to Cartago for her feast day, Aug. 2, a national holiday. The walk is called the Romería, and many pilgrims finish the last stretch to the altar on their knees.

Semana Santa

Holy Week, the week before Easter, is the biggest religious holiday of the year. Holy Thursday and Good Friday are public holidays, many businesses and government offices close, and towns hold processions and reenactments of the Passion. At the same time, Semana Santa is one of the busiest beach weeks of the year, as Costa Rican families head to the coast. If you’re traveling then, book hotels and rental cars early and expect limited bus service on Thursday and Friday.

Christmas and other feast days

Christmas brings nativity scenes (portales) in homes and churches, midnight Mass on Christmas Eve and plenty of tamales. Aug. 15, the Feast of the Assumption, doubles as Mother’s Day and is a public holiday. Read our guides to Christmas in Costa Rica and Costa Rica’s holidays and celebrations.

Protestantism

The Growth of Evangelical Churches

Evangelical and Pentecostal churches are the fastest-growing part of Costa Rica’s religious life. You’ll see them everywhere, from large modern churches on the highways around San José to small storefront congregations in rural towns. Evangelical leaders have also become a visible force in politics, especially on social issues.

Protestantism has a much longer history on the Caribbean coast. Jamaican and other West Indian workers who arrived in the late 1800s to build the railroad and work the banana plantations brought Anglican, Methodist and Baptist churches with them, and many of those congregations still worship in English. Read more in our guides to Afro-Caribbean culture and the history of Limón.

Other faiths

Other Religions in Costa Rica

• No religion: a growing share of Costa Ricans say they believe in God but don’t belong to a church.
• Other Christian groups: Latter-day Saints, Jehovah’s Witnesses and Seventh-day Adventists all have congregations around the country.
• Judaism and Islam: San José has small Jewish and Muslim communities with their own places of worship.
• Indigenous spirituality: Indigenous peoples such as the Bribri and Cabécar keep traditional beliefs about creation and nature, often alongside Christianity. Our guide to the Maleku people covers another Indigenous community.
• Rastafari: present in small numbers on the southern Caribbean coast, especially around Puerto Viejo.

For visitors

Tips for Travelers

• Dress respectfully in churches. Cover shoulders and avoid beachwear. Remove hats.
• Keep quiet during Mass. Visit between services if you want to look around, and ask before taking photos during a ceremony.
• Plan around Semana Santa. Expect closures on Holy Thursday and Good Friday, full beaches and higher hotel prices.
• Expect crowds around Aug. 2. Roads into Cartago fill with pilgrims in the days before the feast, and some routes close.
• Listen for faith in everyday speech. Ticos say “Si Dios quiere” (God willing) and “Gracias a Dios” (thank God) constantly, whatever their church. See our list of Costa Rican expressions.
• Join a fiesta. Town patron saint festivals are open to everyone and are a good way to see local music and traditional dances.

Good to know

Religion in Costa Rica FAQ