Costa Rica vs Republic of Korea: Central government spending as share of GDP
Costa Rica
28.6%
in 2023
Republic of Korea
28.3%
in 2023
Costa Rica rank
64th
Republic of Korea rank
66th
Central government spending as share of GDP over time
- Costa Rica
- Republic of Korea
How they compare
Costa Rica currently reports 28.6% against 28.3% in Republic of Korea, a difference of 0.3%.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 51 shared years of data; in 1973 it was Costa Rica ahead.
Costa Rica ranks 64th and Republic of Korea ranks 66th of 157 countries.
Costa Rica has averaged higher in every one of the 6 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | Republic of Korea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 17.3% | 13.2% | 4.1% | Costa Rica |
| 1980s | 21.4% | 13.6% | 7.9% | Costa Rica |
| 1990s | 21.1% | 13.1% | 8.0% | Costa Rica |
| 2000s | 22.7% | 16.7% | 6.0% | Costa Rica |
| 2010s | 26.9% | 22.0% | 4.9% | Costa Rica |
| 2020s | 29.7% | 29.0% | 0.7% | 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 Republic of Korea?
- Costa Rica, at 28.6% against 28.3% in Republic of Korea as of 2023.
- What is the difference in central government spending as share of gdp between Costa Rica and Republic of Korea?
- 0.3%, with Costa Rica ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and Republic of Korea?
- 51 years are reported by both, from 1973 to 2023.
- How do Costa Rica and Republic of Korea rank globally for central government spending as share of gdp?
- Costa Rica ranks 64th and Republic of Korea ranks 66th 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.