Barbados vs Costa Rica: Central government spending as share of GDP
Barbados
28.8%
in 2016
Costa Rica
28.6%
in 2023
Barbados rank
63rd
Costa Rica rank
64th
Central government spending as share of GDP over time
- Barbados
- Costa Rica
How they compare
Barbados currently reports 28.8% against 28.6% in Costa Rica, a difference of 0.2%.
Across all 14 years both countries report, Barbados has been ahead every year.
Barbados ranks 63rd and Costa Rica ranks 64th of 157 countries.
Barbados has averaged higher in every one of the 2 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Barbados | Costa Rica | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 28.8% | 22.6% | 6.3% | Barbados |
| 2010s | 28.6% | 26.6% | 2.1% | Barbados |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher central government spending as share of gdp, Barbados or Costa Rica?
- Barbados, at 28.8% against 28.6% in Costa Rica as of 2016.
- What is the difference in central government spending as share of gdp between Barbados and Costa Rica?
- 0.2%, with Barbados ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Barbados and Costa Rica?
- 14 years are reported by both, from 2003 to 2016.
- How do Barbados and Costa Rica rank globally for central government spending as share of gdp?
- Barbados ranks 63rd and Costa Rica ranks 64th of 157 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- International Monetary Fund (IMF), OECD, and World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Central 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
Central government expense (cash payments for operating activities of the government in providing goods and services), as share of GDP. It excludes capital investment, such as infrastructure or equipment.