Total factor productivity in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Total factor productivity was 1.03 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
1.03
Change on year
up 4.8%
World rank
21st
of 120 countries
All-time high
1.25
in 1973
All-time low
0.8514
in 2005
Years of data
70
1954–2023
Total factor productivity in Costa Rica, 1954–2023
Source: Feenstra et al. – Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for total factor productivity in Costa Rica is 1.03, measured in 2023.
The figure is up 4.8% on the previous year and up 9.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, total factor productivity in Costa Rica peaked at 1.25 in 1973 and was at its lowest, 0.8514, in 2005.
That places Costa Rica 21st out of 120 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 70 years of available data.
Total factor productivity in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1954 | 0.9051 | — |
| 1955 | 0.9629 | +6.4% |
| 1956 | 0.9164 | -4.8% |
| 1957 | 0.9433 | +2.9% |
| 1958 | 1.03 | +9.0% |
| 1959 | 1.01 | -2.1% |
| 1960 | 1.05 | +4.7% |
| 1961 | 1.01 | -4.4% |
| 1962 | 1.03 | +1.8% |
| 1963 | 1.05 | +2.0% |
| 1964 | 1.05 | +0.6% |
| 1965 | 1.11 | +5.0% |
| 1966 | 1.12 | +1.0% |
| 1967 | 1.14 | +1.7% |
| 1968 | 1.19 | +4.3% |
| 1969 | 1.2 | +0.9% |
| 1970 | 1.24 | +3.4% |
| 1971 | 1.23 | -0.3% |
| 1972 | 1.24 | +0.9% |
| 1973 | 1.25 | +0.7% |
| 1974 | 1.25 | -0.4% |
| 1975 | 1.2 | -3.7% |
| 1976 | 1.18 | -1.5% |
| 1977 | 1.19 | +0.8% |
| 1978 | 1.18 | -1.1% |
| 1979 | 1.15 | -2.2% |
| 1980 | 1.11 | -3.9% |
| 1981 | 1.06 | -4.2% |
| 1982 | 0.9714 | -8.6% |
| 1983 | 0.9619 | -1.0% |
| 1984 | 0.9814 | +2.0% |
| 1985 | 0.9445 | -3.8% |
| 1986 | 0.9572 | +1.3% |
| 1987 | 0.9464 | -1.1% |
| 1988 | 0.9412 | -0.5% |
| 1989 | 0.9391 | -0.2% |
| 1990 | 0.9165 | -2.4% |
| 1991 | 0.9265 | +1.1% |
| 1992 | 0.9332 | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 0.9471 | +1.5% |
| 1994 | 0.9338 | -1.4% |
| 1995 | 0.934 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 0.8994 | -3.7% |
| 1997 | 0.8992 | -0.0% |
| 1998 | 0.9013 | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 0.8861 | -1.7% |
| 2000 | 0.876 | -1.1% |
| 2001 | 0.8767 | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 0.8606 | -1.8% |
| 2003 | 0.8605 | -0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.8545 | -0.7% |
| 2005 | 0.8514 | -0.4% |
| 2006 | 0.8719 | +2.4% |
| 2007 | 0.8883 | +1.9% |
| 2008 | 0.8886 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 0.8755 | -1.5% |
| 2010 | 0.9119 | +4.2% |
| 2011 | 0.9073 | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 0.9403 | +3.6% |
| 2013 | 0.9434 | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 0.9478 | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 0.9428 | -0.5% |
| 2016 | 0.9328 | -1.1% |
| 2017 | 0.943 | +1.1% |
| 2018 | 0.9584 | +1.6% |
| 2019 | 0.9648 | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 1.01 | +4.3% |
| 2021 | 1 | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 0.9834 | -1.7% |
| 2023 | 1.03 | +4.8% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 1.03 is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.994, 1.0× the median. (52 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 1.03 is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 1, 1.0× the median. (21 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 0.9606 | 0.9051 | 1.03 | 6 |
| 1960s | 1.09 | 1.01 | 1.2 | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.21 | 1.15 | 1.25 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.9814 | 0.9391 | 1.11 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.9177 | 0.8861 | 0.9471 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.8704 | 0.8514 | 0.8886 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.9393 | 0.9073 | 0.9648 | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.01 | 0.9834 | 1.03 | 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 total factor productivity in Costa Rica?
- Total factor productivity in Costa Rica was 1.03 in 2023, according to Feenstra et al. – Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest total factor productivity recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 1.25 in 1973.
- What is the lowest total factor productivity recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.8514 in 2005.
- How does Costa Rica rank for total factor productivity?
- Costa Rica ranks 21st out of 120 countries with data for 2023.
- Is total factor productivity rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- 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 Total factor productivity. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
This is the level of total factor productivity, relative to each country's value in 2021 (which is set to 1). This data is adjusted for inflation and differences in living costs between countries.