Costa Rica vs Ireland: Government spending by function as a share of GDP
Costa Rica
8.1%
in 2021
Ireland
7.8%
in 2023
Costa Rica rank
35th
Ireland rank
37th
Government spending by function as a share of GDP over time
- Costa Rica
- Ireland
How they compare
Costa Rica currently reports 8.1% against 7.8% in Ireland, a difference of 0.3%.
Across all 10 years both countries report, Ireland has been ahead every year.
Costa Rica ranks 35th and Ireland ranks 37th of 37 countries.
Ireland has averaged higher in every one of the 2 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | Ireland | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 8.1% | 11.2% | 3.1% | Ireland |
| 2020s | 8.8% | 8.9% | 0.1% | Ireland |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher government spending by function as a share of gdp, Costa Rica or Ireland?
- Costa Rica, at 8.1% against 7.8% in Ireland as of 2021.
- What is the difference in government spending by function as a share of gdp between Costa Rica and Ireland?
- 0.3%, with Costa Rica ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and Ireland?
- 10 years are reported by both, from 2012 to 2021.
- How do Costa Rica and Ireland rank globally for government spending by function as a share of gdp?
- Costa Rica ranks 35th and Ireland ranks 37th of 37 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- OECD (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Government spending by function as a share of GDP. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
General government expenditure on social protection. This data is divided by gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage.