Military branches Coast Guard, Air Section, Ministry of Public Security Force (Fuerza Publica); note - during 1996, the Ministry of Public Security reorganized and eliminated the Civil Guard, Rural Assistance Guard, and Frontier Guards as separate entities; they are now under the Ministry and operate on a geographic command basis performing ground security, law enforcement, counternarcotics, and national security (border patrol) functions; the constitution prohibits armed forces

Military manpower - military age 18 years of age

Military manpower - availability
males age 15-49: 964,405 (1998 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service
males: 646,873 (1998 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually
males: 35,513 (1998 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure $55 million (1995)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP 2% (1995)

NOTE: The information regarding Costa Rica on this page is re-published from the 1998 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Costa Rica Military 1998 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Costa Rica Military 1998 should be addressed to the CIA.