Costa Rica vs United States of America: Government spending by function as a share of GDP
Costa Rica
8.1%
in 2021
United States of America
7.9%
in 2023
Costa Rica rank
35th
United States of America rank
36th
Government spending by function as a share of GDP over time
- Costa Rica
- United States of America
How they compare
Costa Rica currently reports 8.1% against 7.9% in United States of America, a difference of 0.2%.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 10 shared years of data; in 2012 it was United States of America ahead.
Costa Rica ranks 35th and United States of America ranks 36th of 37 countries.
Across the 2 decades both report, Costa Rica averaged higher in 1 and United States of America in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | United States of America | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 8.1% | 7.7% | 0.4% | Costa Rica |
| 2020s | 8.8% | 12.0% | 3.2% | United States of America |
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 United States of America?
- Costa Rica, at 8.1% against 7.9% in United States of America as of 2021.
- What is the difference in government spending by function as a share of gdp between Costa Rica and United States of America?
- 0.2%, with Costa Rica ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and United States of America?
- 10 years are reported by both, from 2012 to 2021.
- How do Costa Rica and United States of America rank globally for government spending by function as a share of gdp?
- Costa Rica ranks 35th and United States of America ranks 36th 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.