Share of government consumption in GDP vs. GDP per capita in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Share of government consumption in GDP vs. GDP per capita was 20.1% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
20.1%
Change on year
down 3.4%
World rank
89th
of 184 countries
All-time high
21.4%
in 2020
All-time low
8.4%
in 1950
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Share of government consumption in GDP vs. GDP per capita in Costa Rica, 1950–2023
Source: Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita in Costa Rica is 20.1%, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of down 3.4% on the previous year and up 11.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita in Costa Rica peaked at 21.4% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 8.4%, in 1950.
That places Costa Rica 89th out of 184 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.
Share of government consumption in GDP vs. GDP per capita in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 8.4% | — |
| 1951 | 9.0% | +7.1% |
| 1952 | 9.7% | +7.0% |
| 1953 | 8.4% | -12.6% |
| 1954 | 10.1% | +19.1% |
| 1955 | 10.6% | +5.2% |
| 1956 | 12.2% | +14.9% |
| 1957 | 12.0% | -1.4% |
| 1958 | 11.3% | -6.0% |
| 1959 | 12.3% | +9.1% |
| 1960 | 11.9% | -3.4% |
| 1961 | 13.8% | +15.7% |
| 1962 | 13.8% | +0.5% |
| 1963 | 14.4% | +4.2% |
| 1964 | 15.0% | +4.3% |
| 1965 | 15.0% | -0.0% |
| 1966 | 15.7% | +4.6% |
| 1967 | 15.5% | -1.2% |
| 1968 | 15.0% | -3.1% |
| 1969 | 15.3% | +1.8% |
| 1970 | 15.8% | +3.5% |
| 1971 | 17.2% | +8.6% |
| 1972 | 17.5% | +1.8% |
| 1973 | 17.5% | -0.2% |
| 1974 | 18.7% | +7.1% |
| 1975 | 19.3% | +3.3% |
| 1976 | 19.2% | -0.5% |
| 1977 | 18.8% | -2.4% |
| 1978 | 18.4% | -1.8% |
| 1979 | 18.9% | +2.6% |
| 1980 | 19.3% | +2.1% |
| 1981 | 18.7% | -3.0% |
| 1982 | 19.6% | +4.7% |
| 1983 | 18.6% | -4.9% |
| 1984 | 18.0% | -3.4% |
| 1985 | 17.8% | -0.9% |
| 1986 | 16.8% | -5.8% |
| 1987 | 17.3% | +3.2% |
| 1988 | 17.4% | +0.5% |
| 1989 | 17.1% | -2.2% |
| 1990 | 16.0% | -6.5% |
| 1991 | 15.5% | -2.9% |
| 1992 | 14.8% | -4.5% |
| 1993 | 14.6% | -1.5% |
| 1994 | 14.2% | -2.8% |
| 1995 | 13.4% | -5.5% |
| 1996 | 13.4% | -0.1% |
| 1997 | 14.0% | +4.4% |
| 1998 | 13.1% | -5.7% |
| 1999 | 13.7% | +3.8% |
| 2000 | 13.8% | +1.1% |
| 2001 | 14.1% | +2.4% |
| 2002 | 14.4% | +1.9% |
| 2003 | 14.7% | +2.1% |
| 2004 | 14.6% | -0.8% |
| 2005 | 14.8% | +1.7% |
| 2006 | 15.1% | +1.8% |
| 2007 | 14.8% | -2.0% |
| 2008 | 15.2% | +2.5% |
| 2009 | 15.5% | +2.0% |
| 2010 | 16.4% | +5.7% |
| 2011 | 16.1% | -1.3% |
| 2012 | 16.2% | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 18.1% | +11.7% |
| 2014 | 19.0% | +5.1% |
| 2015 | 19.5% | +2.5% |
| 2016 | 21.3% | +9.1% |
| 2017 | 21.0% | -1.3% |
| 2018 | 21.0% | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 21.4% | +1.7% |
| 2020 | 21.4% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 20.9% | -2.5% |
| 2022 | 20.8% | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 20.1% | -3.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 10.4% | 8.4% | 12.3% | 10 |
| 1960s | 14.6% | 11.9% | 15.7% | 10 |
| 1970s | 18.1% | 15.8% | 19.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 18.1% | 16.8% | 19.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 14.2% | 13.1% | 16.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 14.7% | 13.8% | 15.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.0% | 16.1% | 21.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.8% | 20.1% | 21.4% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
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)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 466.29 million BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0045 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 90.49 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 5.59 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual 3.39 % change on previous year (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0543 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 1,084 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate 20.52 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita in Costa Rica?
- Share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita in Costa Rica was 20.1% in 2023, according to Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 21.4% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.4% in 1950.
- How does Costa Rica rank for share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita?
- Costa Rica ranks 89th out of 184 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of government consumption in GDP vs. GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Government consumption divided by gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage.