Trade in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Trade was 71.5% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Trade in Costa Rica, 1960–2025
Source: Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2025, trade in Costa Rica stood at 71.5%.
That represents a change of up 2.3% on the previous year and up 17.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, trade in Costa Rica peaked at 92.0% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 45.9%, in 1961.
Costa Rica ranks 117th of 193 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Trade in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 47.3% | — |
| 1961 | 45.9% | -2.8% |
| 1962 | 48.8% | +6.2% |
| 1963 | 49.2% | +0.9% |
| 1964 | 53.0% | +7.7% |
| 1965 | 55.8% | +5.2% |
| 1966 | 55.6% | -0.4% |
| 1967 | 56.1% | +1.0% |
| 1968 | 60.2% | +7.3% |
| 1969 | 58.5% | -2.8% |
| 1970 | 62.4% | +6.6% |
| 1971 | 63.9% | +2.4% |
| 1972 | 66.8% | +4.6% |
| 1973 | 67.7% | +1.3% |
| 1974 | 81.3% | +20.1% |
| 1975 | 68.6% | -15.6% |
| 1976 | 63.8% | -7.0% |
| 1977 | 67.2% | +5.3% |
| 1978 | 64.2% | -4.5% |
| 1979 | 64.1% | -0.2% |
| 1980 | 63.3% | -1.3% |
| 1981 | 91.4% | +44.5% |
| 1982 | 87.2% | -4.6% |
| 1983 | 72.8% | -16.5% |
| 1984 | 68.4% | -6.1% |
| 1985 | 63.2% | -7.5% |
| 1986 | 61.8% | -2.2% |
| 1987 | 67.4% | +9.0% |
| 1988 | 69.8% | +3.6% |
| 1989 | 73.6% | +5.4% |
| 1990 | 75.3% | +2.3% |
| 1991 | 71.4% | -5.1% |
| 1992 | 76.1% | +6.5% |
| 1993 | 79.4% | +4.3% |
| 1994 | 78.0% | -1.7% |
| 1995 | 79.8% | +2.3% |
| 1996 | 84.1% | +5.4% |
| 1997 | 87.6% | +4.2% |
| 1998 | 92.0% | +5.1% |
| 1999 | 87.5% | -4.9% |
| 2000 | 86.5% | -1.2% |
| 2001 | 80.9% | -6.6% |
| 2002 | 80.4% | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 83.3% | +3.6% |
| 2004 | 85.3% | +2.3% |
| 2005 | 89.2% | +4.7% |
| 2006 | 89.8% | +0.7% |
| 2007 | 86.5% | -3.7% |
| 2008 | 86.4% | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 69.8% | -19.3% |
| 2010 | 67.5% | -3.2% |
| 2011 | 68.6% | +1.7% |
| 2012 | 67.0% | -2.3% |
| 2013 | 64.1% | -4.4% |
| 2014 | 65.2% | +1.8% |
| 2015 | 60.8% | -6.8% |
| 2016 | 62.2% | +2.3% |
| 2017 | 65.1% | +4.7% |
| 2018 | 66.8% | +2.6% |
| 2019 | 65.4% | -2.0% |
| 2020 | 59.7% | -8.7% |
| 2021 | 70.1% | +17.3% |
| 2022 | 79.1% | +12.8% |
| 2023 | 71.4% | -9.6% |
| 2024 | 69.9% | -2.2% |
| 2025 | 71.5% | +2.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 53.0% | 45.9% | 60.2% | 10 |
| 1970s | 67.0% | 62.4% | 81.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 71.9% | 61.8% | 91.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 81.1% | 71.4% | 92.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 83.8% | 69.8% | 89.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 65.3% | 60.8% | 68.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 70.3% | 59.7% | 79.1% | 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)
- 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 trade in Costa Rica?
- Trade in Costa Rica was 71.5% in 2025, according to Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks.
- What is the highest trade recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 92.0% in 1998.
- What is the lowest trade recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 45.9% in 1961.
- How does Costa Rica rank for trade?
- Costa Rica ranks 117th out of 193 countries with data for 2025.
- Is trade rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 17.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks, published as part of Trade (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Trade is the sum of exports and imports of goods and services. 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.