By Nidia Zúñiga Pérez
Costa Rica has become well known as a place for wellness.
People come here to enjoy nature, walk through the forest, surf, eat fresh food, visit the hot springs or simply slow down for a few days.
But wellness is not only something we offer visitors.
There is another side of it that begins at home, with everyday life and the things that make people feel secure about their future.
Costa Ricans are having fewer children.
In 2014, Costa Rica’s fertility rate was 1.78 children per woman. By 2024, it had fallen to 1.12, according to official data from INEC Costa Rica.
That is a big change in only ten years.
The numbers tell us what is happening. They do not tell us the whole story.
Behind the Numbers
Having children is a personal decision.
Some people do not want children. Others want one instead of two or three. Some prefer to wait until they finish studying, have a stable job or feel more secure financially.
And some may want children but wonder whether they can afford them.
That last part deserves attention.
A University of Costa Rica survey found that economic stability was an important consideration when people thought about whether to have children.
It is not difficult to understand.
There is housing to pay for, food, childcare, education and all the unexpected expenses that come with raising a family.
There is also time.
So perhaps the question should not simply be, “Why aren’t Costa Ricans having more children?”
We could also ask:
What would make it easier for people who want children to have them?
The Years Spent Raising a Child
Think about a mother who decides to stay home for several years to care for her children.
She is certainly working. Anyone who has cared for a baby knows that.
But she is not receiving a salary.
During those years, she may also lose opportunities at work and make fewer contributions toward her pension.
Could some of those years be recognized when retirement benefits are calculated?
It is worth discussing.
Caring for children has value, even when there is no paycheck attached to it.
And this should not be only about mothers. Fathers who take time away from work to care for their children should also be part of that conversation.
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What If Mom or Dad Is Still Studying?
Starting a family while studying can be difficult.
A young woman may want to finish university and also become a mother. A young father may be trying to do the same thing.
Why should having a child automatically put an education at risk?
Perhaps universities and technical schools could offer more flexibility for student parents. Scholarships could take into account the additional costs they face. Childcare on or near campuses could also make a difference.
Sometimes a little support at the right moment can change the direction of an entire family.
Childcare Matters
For working parents, childcare can make all the difference.
Costa Rica already has programs such as the Red Nacional de Cuido y Desarrollo Infantil and assistance through the IMAS.
Perhaps we should look at how those programs could reach more families and make good childcare easier to find and afford.
Because sometimes what parents need most is very simple: knowing their child is safe and well cared for while they go to work.
Should Families Receive More Help?
It is also fair to ask whether families with children need more financial support.
That could take different forms.
Perhaps assistance during the first years of a child’s life. Perhaps help with childcare or education. Maybe housing programs could give additional consideration to young families.
There could even be a combination of support rather than one large payment when a baby is born.
Whatever is considered would have to make financial sense for Costa Rica and be sustainable over time.
But discussing it is worthwhile.
If economic security is one of the things people think about when deciding whether to have children, then economic security belongs in the conversation.
A Future That Grows With Every Child
There may even be room for an idea that feels very Costa Rican.
What if every child born in Costa Rica began life with a small investment for the future?
Part could go into a protected savings or investment fund in the child’s name. At the same time, the program could support the planting or restoration of trees through properly managed forestry or agricultural projects.
The child and the investment would grow together.
By the time that child becomes a young adult, the fund might help pay for university or technical education, a first home or perhaps the beginning of a small business.
And the country could gain something too.
Depending on how it was designed, the environmental side could support trees, productive land, rural jobs and forest products that have value in the future.
Of course, an idea like this would need to be studied carefully. Trees do not all survive. Investments are never guaranteed, and any public program has to be something the country can afford for many years.
But the idea itself is interesting.
Instead of thinking only about what it costs to raise a child today, perhaps we can also think about what can be built for that child’s tomorrow.
A child grows. A tree grows. An investment grows.
There is something very Costa Rican about that.
Fathers Are Part of This Too
There is one thing this conversation should never become: another discussion about what women are expected to do.
Raising children is not only a mother’s responsibility.
If we want family life to work better, fathers need the time and opportunity to be there too.
That means looking at parental leave, flexible work and the way responsibilities are shared at home.
A woman should not have to give up her professional future because she becomes a mother.
And a father should be able to care for his children without that being treated as unusual.
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This Is Wellness Too
Maybe this is where the meaning of wellness becomes much simpler.
It is not only about feeling well today. It is also about having enough security to imagine tomorrow.
Wellness can mean having time for family.
Knowing that your child has a safe place to stay while you work.
Being able to finish your education.
Having some protection if you spend several years caring for your children.
Reaching retirement without discovering that those years left you far behind.
And knowing that your child has some small beginning waiting for the future.
None of this means that Costa Rica should measure its wellbeing by how many babies are born.
People who do not want children should be free to make that choice.
But if someone does want children, perhaps we should pay attention to the things that make that decision harder than it needs to be.
In previous articles, I have written about the wellness Costa Rica has practiced without giving it a name, the landscapes that shape our wellbeing and the experiences that make visitors want to return.
Perhaps there is another part of that story.
Costa Rica has become very good at showing the world how beautiful it can be to slow down, reconnect with nature and live well.
We should also be asking how we can make everyday life a little better for the people who call Costa Rica home.
Because wellness does not have to begin at a retreat.
Sometimes, it begins at home.
