Expense in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Expense was 28.6% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Expense in Costa Rica, 1973–2023
Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for expense in Costa Rica is 28.6%, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.9% on the previous year and up 7.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, expense in Costa Rica peaked at 31.7% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 15.1%, in 1974.
That places Costa Rica 64th out of 157 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 51 years of available data.
Expense in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 15.5% | — |
| 1974 | 15.1% | -3.1% |
| 1975 | 16.3% | +8.3% |
| 1976 | 16.3% | +0.3% |
| 1977 | 16.1% | -1.3% |
| 1978 | 20.5% | +27.2% |
| 1979 | 21.3% | +3.6% |
| 1980 | 21.6% | +1.5% |
| 1981 | 18.1% | -16.2% |
| 1982 | 16.6% | -8.1% |
| 1983 | 21.0% | +26.2% |
| 1984 | 20.0% | -4.5% |
| 1985 | 19.5% | -2.6% |
| 1986 | 24.3% | +24.3% |
| 1987 | 25.6% | +5.4% |
| 1988 | 23.2% | -9.2% |
| 1989 | 24.4% | +4.9% |
| 1990 | 24.2% | -0.5% |
| 1991 | 18.4% | -24.0% |
| 1992 | 17.8% | -3.5% |
| 1993 | 19.4% | +8.9% |
| 1994 | 23.0% | +18.8% |
| 1995 | 21.5% | -6.3% |
| 1996 | 22.5% | +4.4% |
| 1997 | 21.4% | -4.9% |
| 1998 | 21.1% | -1.6% |
| 1999 | 22.1% | +5.0% |
| 2000 | 22.0% | -0.4% |
| 2001 | 22.8% | +3.3% |
| 2002 | 24.6% | +8.1% |
| 2003 | 23.6% | -4.0% |
| 2004 | 22.5% | -4.6% |
| 2005 | 22.6% | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 21.6% | -4.6% |
| 2007 | 21.2% | -2.0% |
| 2008 | 21.7% | +2.4% |
| 2009 | 24.7% | +14.2% |
| 2010 | 25.6% | +3.5% |
| 2011 | 25.4% | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 25.9% | +2.2% |
| 2013 | 26.5% | +2.2% |
| 2014 | 26.7% | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 28.6% | +6.8% |
| 2016 | 27.1% | -4.9% |
| 2017 | 25.4% | -6.4% |
| 2018 | 28.9% | +13.6% |
| 2019 | 29.3% | +1.6% |
| 2020 | 31.7% | +8.1% |
| 2021 | 30.5% | -3.6% |
| 2022 | 28.0% | -8.1% |
| 2023 | 28.6% | +1.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 17.3% | 15.1% | 21.3% | 7 |
| 1980s | 21.4% | 16.6% | 25.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 21.1% | 17.8% | 24.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 22.7% | 21.2% | 24.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 26.9% | 25.4% | 29.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 29.7% | 28.0% | 31.7% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
- 61 Mauritius 29.1% compare
- 62 Solomon Islands 28.9% compare
- 63 Barbados 28.8% compare
- 65 Belarus 28.5% compare
- 66 South Korea 28.3% compare
- 67 El Salvador 27.9% compare
More economy & growth data for Costa Rica
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 2.74 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 3.3 Percent per annum (2029)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 8.07 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 0.1693 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 3,381 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant LCU), annual 8.07 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant LCU), per 112.02 constant LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant LCU), per 2.24 million constant LCU per person (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), annual growth rate 6.71 % change on previous year (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.6922 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is expense in Costa Rica?
- Expense in Costa Rica was 28.6% in 2023, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest expense recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 31.7% in 2020.
- What is the lowest expense recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.1% in 1974.
- How does Costa Rica rank for expense?
- Costa Rica ranks 64th out of 157 countries with data for 2023.
- Is expense rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Expense (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Expense is a decrease in net worth resulting from a transaction. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.