Costa Rica vs Equatorial Guinea: Government spending as share of GDP
Costa Rica
18.9%
in 2024
Equatorial Guinea
18.5%
in 2024
Costa Rica rank
131st
Equatorial Guinea rank
134th
Government spending as share of GDP over time
- Costa Rica
- Equatorial Guinea
How they compare
Costa Rica currently reports 18.9% against 18.5% in Equatorial Guinea, a difference of 0.4%.
The two have swapped places 7 times across 40 shared years of data; in 1985 it was Equatorial Guinea ahead.
Costa Rica ranks 131st and Equatorial Guinea ranks 134th of 151 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, Costa Rica averaged higher in 1 and Equatorial Guinea in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | Equatorial Guinea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 25.2% | 152.4% | 127.2% | Equatorial Guinea |
| 1990s | 17.7% | 209.1% | 191.4% | Equatorial Guinea |
| 2000s | 16.5% | 18.6% | 2.2% | Equatorial Guinea |
| 2010s | 18.7% | 28.0% | 9.3% | Equatorial Guinea |
| 2020s | 19.9% | 16.3% | 3.7% | Costa Rica |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher government spending as share of gdp, Costa Rica or Equatorial Guinea?
- Costa Rica, at 18.9% against 18.5% in Equatorial Guinea as of 2024.
- What is the difference in government spending as share of gdp between Costa Rica and Equatorial Guinea?
- 0.4%, with Costa Rica ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and Equatorial Guinea?
- 40 years are reported by both, from 1985 to 2024.
- How do Costa Rica and Equatorial Guinea rank globally for government spending as share of gdp?
- Costa Rica ranks 131st and Equatorial Guinea ranks 134th of 151 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- International Monetary Fund (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Government spending as share of GDP. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Sum of all the money spent by the government on goods and services, as a percentage of GDP. It includes interest paid on government debt.