Costa Rica vs Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income): External balance on goods and services
External balance on goods and services over time
- Costa Rica
- Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)
How they compare
Costa Rica currently reports 6.2% against -0.7% in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income), a difference of 6.9%.
That makes Costa Rica's figure about 8.5 times Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)'s.
The two have swapped places 5 times across 66 shared years of data; in 1960 it was Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) ahead.
Costa Rica ranks 30th and Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) ranks 28th of 193 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, Costa Rica averaged higher in 1 and Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) in 6.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | -5.5% | -0.3% | 5.2% | Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) |
| 1970s | -8.3% | -1.7% | 6.6% | Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) |
| 1980s | -2.3% | 1.2% | 3.5% | Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) |
| 1990s | -4.9% | -1.2% | 3.7% | Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) |
| 2000s | -2.5% | 0.2% | 2.7% | Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) |
| 2010s | -1.1% | -0.9% | 0.2% | Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) |
| 2020s | 3.9% | -0.9% | 4.8% | Costa Rica |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher external balance on goods and services, Costa Rica or Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)?
- Costa Rica, at 6.2% against -0.7% in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) as of 2025.
- What is the difference in external balance on goods and services between Costa Rica and Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)?
- 6.9%, with Costa Rica ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)?
- 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
- How do Costa Rica and Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) rank globally for external balance on goods and services?
- Costa Rica ranks 30th and Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) ranks 28th of 193 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks, published as External balance on goods and services (% of GDP). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
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About this data
The balance of international trade in goods and services is the difference between the exports and imports of goods and services. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.