Costa Rica vs El Salvador: Central government spending as share of GDP
Costa Rica
28.6%
in 2023
El Salvador
27.9%
in 2023
Costa Rica rank
64th
El Salvador rank
67th
Central government spending as share of GDP over time
- Costa Rica
- El Salvador
How they compare
Costa Rica currently reports 28.6% against 27.9% in El Salvador, a difference of 0.7%.
The two have swapped places 8 times across 26 shared years of data; in 1998 it was Costa Rica ahead.
Costa Rica ranks 64th and El Salvador ranks 67th of 157 countries.
Costa Rica has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | El Salvador | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 21.6% | 13.1% | 8.5% | Costa Rica |
| 2000s | 22.7% | 20.7% | 2.0% | Costa Rica |
| 2010s | 26.9% | 23.8% | 3.1% | Costa Rica |
| 2020s | 29.7% | 29.7% | 0.0% | Costa Rica |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher central government spending as share of gdp, Costa Rica or El Salvador?
- Costa Rica, at 28.6% against 27.9% in El Salvador as of 2023.
- What is the difference in central government spending as share of gdp between Costa Rica and El Salvador?
- 0.7%, with Costa Rica ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and El Salvador?
- 26 years are reported by both, from 1998 to 2023.
- How do Costa Rica and El Salvador rank globally for central government spending as share of gdp?
- Costa Rica ranks 64th and El Salvador ranks 67th 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.