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Since 2018, Costa Rica has faced a challenging reality of displacement, mainly attributed to the political crisis in Nicaragua. Although the arrivals of Nicaraguans have been continuous since the sociopolitical crisis of April 2018, with a small decrease in 2020 due to COVID-19, the number of new asylum seekers increased significantly in the context of the presidential elections of November 2021 in Nicaragua.
By the end of 2021, Costa Rica was home to over 150,000 asylum seekers (mostly from Nicaragua, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Cuba and the North of Central America) and was the world’s fourth largest recipient of new individual asylum claims. As of June 30, 2022, Costa Rica was hosting 215,933 people of concern: of these, 11,205 are refugees and 204,728 asylum seekers, the majority Nicaraguans (89%).
Despite the Government’s efforts, these continued arrivals have posed important strains on the national systems of response including education, health, social protection, and legal assistance. UNHCR continues to assist the Government of Costa Rica in the refugee response by supporting the asylum system and by providing humanitarian aid, social protection support and livelihood opportunities to the most vulnerable.