How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and Zambia?

31 years are reported by both, from 1994 to 2024.

Where does this data come from?

National statistical organizations and central banks, OECD national accounts, and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as External balance on goods and services as a percent of GDP. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Costa Rica vs Zambia: External balance on goods and services as a percent of GDP

Costa Rica

6.2%

in 2025

Zambia

7.4%

in 2024

Costa Rica rank

30th

Zambia rank

28th

External balance on goods and services as a percent of GDP over time

Costa Rica
Zambia

How they compare

Zambia currently reports 7.4% against 6.2% in Costa Rica, a difference of 1.2%.

That makes Zambia's figure about 1.2 times Costa Rica's.

The two have swapped places 10 times across 31 shared years of data; in 1994 it was Zambia ahead.

Costa Rica ranks 30th and Zambia ranks 28th of 191 countries.

Across the 4 decades both report, Costa Rica averaged higher in 2 and Zambia in 2.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Costa Rica	Zambia	Difference	Ahead
1990s	-4.1%	-5.2%	1.1%	Costa Rica
2000s	-2.5%	-4.4%	1.8%	Costa Rica
2010s	-1.1%	1.2%	2.3%	Zambia
2020s	3.5%	10.9%	7.4%	Zambia

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher external balance on goods and services as a percent of gdp, Costa Rica or Zambia?: Zambia, at 7.4% against 6.2% in Costa Rica as of 2024.
What is the difference in external balance on goods and services as a percent of gdp between Costa Rica and Zambia?: 1.2%, with Zambia ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and Zambia?: 31 years are reported by both, from 1994 to 2024.
How do Costa Rica and Zambia rank globally for external balance on goods and services as a percent of gdp?: Costa Rica ranks 30th and Zambia ranks 28th of 191 countries.
Where does this data come from?: National statistical organizations and central banks, OECD national accounts, and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as External balance on goods and services as a percent of GDP. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Costa Rica vs Zambia: External balance on goods and services as a percent of GDP. Statizoid, drawing on National statistical organizations and central banks, OECD national accounts, and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 17 September 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/compare/external-balance-on-goods-and-services-as-a-percent-of-gdp/costa-rica/zambia/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://economy.statizoid.com/compare/external-balance-on-goods-and-services-as-a-percent-of-gdp/costa-rica/zambia/">Costa Rica vs Zambia: External balance on goods and services as a percent of GDP</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator: External balance on goods and services as a percent of GDP
Unit: % of GDP
Source: National statistical organizations and central banks, OECD national accounts, and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 191 places, 9,006 data points, 1960–2025
Last refreshed: 28 August 2026

Exports of goods and services minus imports of goods and services divided by gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage.