Costa Rica vs Malaysia: Spending by international visitors while visiting a country as a share of GDP
Costa Rica
5.8%
in 2024
Malaysia
5.8%
in 2024
Costa Rica rank
61st
Malaysia rank
60th
Spending by international visitors while visiting a country as a share of GDP over time
- Costa Rica
- Malaysia
How they compare
Malaysia currently reports 5.8% against 5.8% in Costa Rica, a difference of 0.0%.
The two have swapped places 5 times across 30 shared years of data; in 1995 it was Costa Rica ahead.
Costa Rica ranks 61st and Malaysia ranks 60th of 191 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, Costa Rica averaged higher in 3 and Malaysia in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | Malaysia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7.3% | 5.3% | 2.1% | Costa Rica |
| 2000s | 9.2% | 7.7% | 1.5% | Costa Rica |
| 2010s | 6.3% | 6.8% | 0.5% | Malaysia |
| 2020s | 4.5% | 2.7% | 1.8% | Costa Rica |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher spending by international visitors while visiting a country as a share of gdp, Costa Rica or Malaysia?
- Malaysia, at 5.8% against 5.8% in Costa Rica as of 2024.
- What is the difference in spending by international visitors while visiting a country as a share of gdp between Costa Rica and Malaysia?
- 0.0%, with Malaysia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and Malaysia?
- 30 years are reported by both, from 1995 to 2024.
- How do Costa Rica and Malaysia rank globally for spending by international visitors while visiting a country as a share of gdp?
- Costa Rica ranks 61st and Malaysia ranks 60th of 191 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UN Tourism (2025); National statistical organizations and central banks, OECD national accounts, and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Spending by international visitors while visiting a country 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
Money received by the destination country from foreign visitors, including spending on accommodation, food, transport, entertainment, shopping, and fares paid to the country’s own airlines, as a share of, as a share of GDP.