Historical gov spending gdp in Costa Rica

Costa Rica: Historical gov spending gdp was 18.87 in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
18.87
Change on year
up 1.9%
World rank
131st
of 151 countries
All-time high
27.2
in 1987
All-time low
11.91
in 1958
Years of data
69
1956–2024

Historical gov spending gdp in Costa Rica, 1956–2024

0102030195619902024

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

Costa Rica recorded 18.87 for historical gov spending gdp in 2024.

The figure is up 1.9% on the previous year and up 2.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, historical gov spending gdp in Costa Rica peaked at 27.2 in 1987 and was at its lowest, 11.91, in 1958.

That places Costa Rica 131st out of 151 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 69 years of available data.

Historical gov spending gdp in Costa Rica, year by year

Annual values for Historical gov spending gdp in Costa Rica, 1956 to 2024.
Year Value Change
1956 12.67
1957 11.98 -5.4%
1958 11.91 -0.6%
1959 12.05 +1.2%
1960 12.49 +3.6%
1961 13.19 +5.6%
1962 13.95 +5.7%
1963 13.34 -4.4%
1964 13.53 +1.4%
1965 13.77 +1.8%
1966 14.28 +3.7%
1967 14.73 +3.1%
1968 13.84 -6.0%
1969 14.55 +5.1%
1970 14.94 +2.7%
1971 17.47 +16.9%
1972 17.21 -1.5%
1973 18.35 +6.6%
1974 18.27 -0.4%
1975 19.14 +4.8%
1976 20.06 +4.8%
1977 19.31 -3.7%
1978 23.18 +20.0%
1979 24.87 +7.3%
1980 25.05 +0.7%
1981 21 -16.2%
1982 18.4 -12.4%
1983 23.58 +28.1%
1984 22.82 -3.2%
1985 21.78 -4.6%
1986 26.4 +21.2%
1987 27.2 +3.0%
1988 24.5 -9.9%
1989 26.09 +6.5%
1990 25.61 -1.8%
1991 19.51 -23.8%
1992 18.77 -3.8%
1993 20.48 +9.2%
1994 16.69 -18.5%
1995 16.07 -3.7%
1996 16.18 +0.7%
1997 14.92 -7.7%
1998 14.72 -1.4%
1999 14.32 -2.7%
2000 16.87 +17.8%
2001 17.28 +2.4%
2002 18.55 +7.4%
2003 17.57 -5.3%
2004 17.01 -3.2%
2005 15.89 -6.6%
2006 15.15 -4.6%
2007 14.6 -3.7%
2008 15.18 +4.0%
2009 16.66 +9.7%
2010 18.04 +8.3%
2011 17.18 -4.8%
2012 17.34 +1.0%
2013 18.52 +6.8%
2014 18.4 -0.6%
2015 18.76 +2.0%
2016 18.76 -0.0%
2017 19.16 +2.1%
2018 18.9 -1.4%
2019 21.69 +14.8%
2020 22.29 +2.8%
2021 20.77 -6.8%
2022 19.19 -7.6%
2023 18.51 -3.5%
2024 18.87 +1.9%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 12.15 11.91 12.67 4
1960s 13.77 12.49 14.73 10
1970s 19.28 14.94 24.87 10
1980s 23.68 18.4 27.2 10
1990s 17.73 14.32 25.61 10
2000s 16.47 14.6 18.55 10
2010s 18.67 17.18 21.69 10
2020s 19.93 18.51 22.29 5

Countries ranked near Costa Rica

  1. 128 Comoros 19.14 compare
  2. 129 Viet Nam 19.12 compare
  3. 130 Tanzania, United Republic of 19.1 compare
  4. 132 Chad 18.82 compare
  5. 133 Uganda 18.69 compare
  6. 134 Equatorial Guinea 18.47 compare

See the full ranking of 151 places →

More economy & growth data for Costa Rica

All data for Costa Rica →

Frequently asked questions

What is historical gov spending gdp in Costa Rica?
Historical gov spending gdp in Costa Rica was 18.87 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest historical gov spending gdp recorded in Costa Rica?
The highest recorded value was 27.2 in 1987.
What is the lowest historical gov spending gdp recorded in Costa Rica?
The lowest recorded value was 11.91 in 1958.
How does Costa Rica rank for historical gov spending gdp?
Costa Rica ranks 131st out of 151 countries with data for 2024.
Is historical gov spending gdp rising or falling in Costa Rica?
Over the last ten years it is up 2.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Historical gov spending gdp. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Historical gov spending gdp in Costa Rica. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 August 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/stat/historical-gov-spending-gdp/costa-rica/

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About this data

Indicator
Historical gov spending gdp
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
151 places, 9,265 data points, 1800–2024
Last refreshed