Trade in services in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Trade in services was 26.0% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Trade in services in Costa Rica, 1977–2025
Source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2025, trade in services in Costa Rica stood at 26.0%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.3% on the previous year and up 36.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, trade in services in Costa Rica peaked at 33.2% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 9.9%, in 1980.
That places Costa Rica 86th out of 200 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 49 years of available data.
Trade in services in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | 10.7% | — |
| 1978 | 10.5% | -1.7% |
| 1979 | 10.4% | -0.7% |
| 1980 | 9.9% | -4.8% |
| 1981 | 14.8% | +48.6% |
| 1982 | 18.5% | +25.2% |
| 1983 | 16.8% | -9.3% |
| 1984 | 14.6% | -13.2% |
| 1985 | 14.2% | -2.6% |
| 1986 | 13.7% | -3.3% |
| 1987 | 16.1% | +17.0% |
| 1988 | 18.5% | +15.2% |
| 1989 | 18.9% | +2.3% |
| 1990 | 20.3% | +7.2% |
| 1991 | 17.0% | -16.2% |
| 1992 | 18.1% | +6.4% |
| 1993 | 19.4% | +7.3% |
| 1994 | 19.6% | +1.0% |
| 1995 | 17.6% | -10.1% |
| 1996 | 20.1% | +14.3% |
| 1997 | 19.1% | -5.2% |
| 1998 | 23.5% | +23.0% |
| 1999 | 33.2% | +41.6% |
| 2000 | 24.3% | -26.8% |
| 2001 | 21.9% | -9.9% |
| 2002 | 20.8% | -5.0% |
| 2003 | 21.7% | +4.2% |
| 2004 | 22.7% | +4.4% |
| 2005 | 23.5% | +3.7% |
| 2006 | 23.1% | -1.5% |
| 2007 | 22.5% | -2.6% |
| 2008 | 21.0% | -6.7% |
| 2009 | 18.3% | -12.8% |
| 2010 | 18.4% | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 18.1% | -1.5% |
| 2012 | 17.9% | -1.3% |
| 2013 | 18.3% | +2.6% |
| 2014 | 18.6% | +1.5% |
| 2015 | 19.1% | +2.7% |
| 2016 | 20.3% | +6.5% |
| 2017 | 20.5% | +1.1% |
| 2018 | 22.3% | +8.6% |
| 2019 | 23.9% | +7.2% |
| 2020 | 18.1% | -24.4% |
| 2021 | 19.7% | +9.0% |
| 2022 | 27.5% | +39.4% |
| 2023 | 25.6% | -6.7% |
| 2024 | 25.6% | -0.1% |
| 2025 | 26.0% | +1.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 10.6% | 10.4% | 10.7% | 3 |
| 1980s | 15.6% | 9.9% | 18.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 20.8% | 17.0% | 33.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 22.0% | 18.3% | 24.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.7% | 17.9% | 23.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 23.8% | 18.1% | 27.5% | 6 |
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)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure (current LCU) 3.17 % change on previous year (2025)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure (current LCU) 322.22 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure (current LCU) 6.43 million current LCU per person (2025)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure (constant 2015) 3.83 % change on previous year (2025)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure (constant 2015) 0.4868 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure (constant 2015) 9,721 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Final consumption expenditure (current US$), annual growth rate 5.6 % change on previous year (2025)
- Final consumption expenditure (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.7801 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is trade in services in Costa Rica?
- Trade in services in Costa Rica was 26.0% in 2025, according to Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest trade in services recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 33.2% in 1999.
- What is the lowest trade in services recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.9% in 1980.
- How does Costa Rica rank for trade in services?
- Costa Rica ranks 86th out of 200 countries with data for 2025.
- Is trade in services rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 36.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Trade in services (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Total trade in services includes services provided by residents to non-residents plus services provided by non-residents to residents. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.