Foreign direct investment, net inflows, as a proportion of GDP (%) in Costa Rica

Costa Rica: Foreign direct investment, net inflows, as a proportion of GDP (%) was 5.6% in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
5.6%
Change on year
up 2.5%
World rank
44th
of 214 countries
All-time high
8.3%
in 2007
All-time low
3.4%
in 2020
Years of data
25
2000–2024

Foreign direct investment, net inflows, as a proportion of GDP in Costa Rica, 2000–2024

024682000201220242000: 4.8 %2001: 3.9 %2002: 4.4 %2003: 4.5 %2004: 5.8 %2005: 7.6 %2006: 7.9 %2007: 8.3 %2008: 7.9 %2009: 5.3 %2010: 5.1 %2011: 6.4 %2012: 5.7 %2013: 6.3 %2014: 6.2 %2015: 5.2 %2016: 4.5 %2017: 4.8 %2018: 4.8 %2019: 4.2 %2020: 3.4 %2021: 5.5 %2022: 5.4 %2023: 5.4 %2024: 5.6 %

Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2024, foreign direct investment, net inflows, as a proportion of gdp in Costa Rica stood at 5.6%.

The figure is up 2.5% on the previous year and down 10.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, foreign direct investment, net inflows, as a proportion of gdp in Costa Rica peaked at 8.3% in 2007 and was at its lowest, 3.4%, in 2020.

Costa Rica ranks 44th of 214 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.

Foreign direct investment, net inflows, as a proportion of GDP (%) in Costa Rica, year by year

Annual values for Foreign direct investment, net inflows, as a proportion of GDP (%) in Costa Rica, 2000 to 2024.
Year % Change
2000 4.8% —
2001 3.9% -19.2%
2002 4.4% +12.1%
2003 4.5% +2.8%
2004 5.8% +29.9%
2005 7.6% +31.0%
2006 7.9% +3.9%
2007 8.3% +5.2%
2008 7.9% -5.1%
2009 5.3% -33.6%
2010 5.1% -3.6%
2011 6.4% +26.2%
2012 5.7% -10.7%
2013 6.3% +10.2%
2014 6.2% -0.9%
2015 5.2% -16.0%
2016 4.5% -15.0%
2017 4.8% +8.5%
2018 4.8% -0.1%
2019 4.2% -12.6%
2020 3.4% -20.1%
2021 5.5% +64.1%
2022 5.4% -2.0%
2023 5.4% +0.0%
2024 5.6% +2.5%

Costa Rica compared with similar countries

  • Costa Rica's 5.6% is above the median for high income countries, which is 2.6%, 2.2× the median. (69 countries reporting)
  • Costa Rica's 5.6% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 3.4%, 1.6× the median. (35 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 6.0% 3.9% 8.3% 10
2010s 5.3% 4.2% 6.4% 10
2020s 5.1% 3.4% 5.6% 5

Countries ranked near Costa Rica

  1. 42 Bahrain 5.7% compare
  2. 43 Guinea 5.6% compare
  3. 45 Lithuania 5.5% compare
  4. 46 Gabon 5.5% compare
  5. 47 Chad 5.2% compare

See the full ranking of 250 places →

More economy & growth data for Costa Rica

All data for Costa Rica →

Frequently asked questions

What is foreign direct investment, net inflows, as a proportion of gdp in Costa Rica?
Foreign direct investment, net inflows, as a proportion of gdp in Costa Rica was 5.6% in 2024, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
What is the highest foreign direct investment, net inflows, as a proportion of gdp recorded in Costa Rica?
The highest recorded value was 8.3% in 2007.
What is the lowest foreign direct investment, net inflows, as a proportion of gdp recorded in Costa Rica?
The lowest recorded value was 3.4% in 2020.
How does Costa Rica rank for foreign direct investment, net inflows, as a proportion of gdp?
Costa Rica ranks 44th out of 214 countries with data for 2024.
Is foreign direct investment, net inflows, as a proportion of gdp rising or falling in Costa Rica?
Over the last ten years it is down 10.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Foreign direct investment, net inflows, as a proportion of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Foreign direct investment, net inflows, as a proportion of GDP in Costa Rica. Statizoid, drawing on United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Retrieved 07 November 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/stat/foreign-direct-investment-net-inflows-as-a-proportion-of-gdp-percent/costa-rica/

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About this data

Indicator
Foreign direct investment, net inflows, as a proportion of GDP (%)
Unit
%
Source
United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database
Licence
UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested)
Coverage
250 places, 6,027 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed