Tax revenue as share of GDP in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Tax revenue as share of GDP was 24.1% in 2017. ▲ Rising
Tax revenue as share of GDP in Costa Rica, 1990–2017
Source: OECD (2018) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for tax revenue as share of gdp in Costa Rica is 24.1%, measured in 2017.
That represents a change of down 0.5% on the previous year and up 3.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, tax revenue as share of gdp in Costa Rica peaked at 24.2% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 17.7%, in 1991.
That places Costa Rica 42nd out of 77 countries with data for 2017, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Tax revenue as share of GDP in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 22.5% | — |
| 1991 | 17.7% | -21.5% |
| 1992 | 18.7% | +5.8% |
| 1993 | 18.9% | +1.1% |
| 1994 | 19.7% | +4.2% |
| 1995 | 19.0% | -3.3% |
| 1996 | 20.0% | +4.9% |
| 1997 | 20.3% | +1.4% |
| 1998 | 20.6% | +1.5% |
| 1999 | 21.3% | +3.5% |
| 2000 | 21.2% | -0.3% |
| 2001 | 21.8% | +2.9% |
| 2002 | 21.9% | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 21.9% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 21.4% | -2.4% |
| 2005 | 21.9% | +2.1% |
| 2006 | 22.2% | +1.3% |
| 2007 | 23.3% | +5.0% |
| 2008 | 23.8% | +2.5% |
| 2009 | 22.2% | -6.7% |
| 2010 | 22.4% | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 22.9% | +2.5% |
| 2012 | 22.9% | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 23.5% | +2.6% |
| 2014 | 23.3% | -1.2% |
| 2015 | 23.6% | +1.7% |
| 2016 | 24.2% | +2.3% |
| 2017 | 24.1% | -0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 19.9% | 17.7% | 22.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 22.2% | 21.2% | 23.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 23.4% | 22.4% | 24.2% | 8 |
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)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 3.31 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.1312 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), per capita 2,620 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), annual growth rate 7.45 % change on previous year (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.3264 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), per capita 6,519 current US$ per person (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current LCU), annual growth rate 5.03 % change on previous year (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current LCU), per unit of GDP 164.35 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is tax revenue as share of gdp in Costa Rica?
- Tax revenue as share of gdp in Costa Rica was 24.1% in 2017, according to OECD (2018) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest tax revenue as share of gdp recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 24.2% in 2016.
- What is the lowest tax revenue as share of gdp recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.7% in 1991.
- How does Costa Rica rank for tax revenue as share of gdp?
- Costa Rica ranks 42nd out of 77 countries with data for 2017.
- Is tax revenue as share of gdp rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from OECD (2018) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Tax revenue as share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The level of total tax revenues as a percentage of GDP. Total tax include sub-national revenues, and compulsory social security contributions paid to the general government.