Which has higher tax revenue as share of gdp, Costa Rica or United States of America?

United States of America, at 27.1% against 24.1% in Costa Rica as of 2017.

What is the difference in tax revenue as share of gdp between Costa Rica and United States of America?

3.0%, with United States of America ahead.

How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and United States of America?

28 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2017.

Where does this data come from?

OECD (2018) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Tax revenue as share of GDP. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Costa Rica vs United States of America: Tax revenue as share of GDP

Costa Rica

24.1%

in 2017

United States of America

27.1%

in 2017

Costa Rica rank

42nd

United States of America rank

39th

Tax revenue as share of GDP over time

Costa Rica
United States of America

How they compare

United States of America currently reports 27.1% against 24.1% in Costa Rica, a difference of 3.0%.

That makes United States of America's figure about 1.1 times Costa Rica's.

Across all 28 years both countries report, United States of America has been ahead every year.

Costa Rica ranks 42nd and United States of America ranks 39th of 77 countries.

United States of America has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Costa Rica	United States of America	Difference	Ahead
1990s	19.9%	26.6%	6.7%	United States of America
2000s	22.2%	25.7%	3.6%	United States of America
2010s	23.4%	25.3%	1.9%	United States of America

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher tax revenue as share of gdp, Costa Rica or United States of America?: United States of America, at 27.1% against 24.1% in Costa Rica as of 2017.
What is the difference in tax revenue as share of gdp between Costa Rica and United States of America?: 3.0%, with United States of America ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and United States of America?: 28 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2017.
How do Costa Rica and United States of America rank globally for tax revenue as share of gdp?: Costa Rica ranks 42nd and United States of America ranks 39th of 77 countries.
Where does this data come from?: OECD (2018) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Tax revenue as share of GDP. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Costa Rica vs United States of America: Tax revenue as share of GDP. Statizoid, drawing on OECD (2018) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/compare/tax-revenue-share-gdp-oecd-grsd/costa-rica/united-states/

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About this data

Indicator: Tax revenue as share of GDP
Unit: %
Source: OECD (2018) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 77 places, 1,982 data points, 1990–2017
Last refreshed: 28 August 2026

The level of total tax revenues as a percentage of GDP. Total tax include sub-national revenues, and compulsory social security contributions paid to the general government.