Expenditure, General government, Percent of GDP (Percent GDP) in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Expenditure, General government, Percent of GDP (Percent GDP) was 16.81 in 2030. ▲ Rising
Latest (2030)
16.81
Change on year
down 1.0%
World rank
177th
of 195 countries
All-time high
22.29
in 2020
All-time low
13.75
in 1992
Years of data
40
1991–2030
Expenditure, General government, Percent of GDP in Costa Rica, 1991–2030
Source: International Monetary Fund.
Analysis
In 2030, expenditure, general government, percent of gdp in Costa Rica stood at 16.81.
The figure is down 1.0% on the previous year and down 24.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, expenditure, general government, percent of gdp in Costa Rica peaked at 22.29 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 13.75, in 1992.
That places Costa Rica 177th out of 195 countries with data for 2030, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 40 years of available data.
Expenditure, General government, Percent of GDP (Percent GDP) in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 14 | — |
| 1992 | 13.75 | -1.9% |
| 1993 | 13.82 | +0.5% |
| 1994 | 17.42 | +26.1% |
| 1995 | 16.4 | -5.9% |
| 1996 | 17.29 | +5.4% |
| 1997 | 16.26 | -6.0% |
| 1998 | 16.03 | -1.4% |
| 1999 | 16.71 | +4.3% |
| 2000 | 16.87 | +0.9% |
| 2001 | 17.28 | +2.4% |
| 2002 | 18.55 | +7.4% |
| 2003 | 17.57 | -5.3% |
| 2004 | 17.01 | -3.2% |
| 2005 | 15.89 | -6.6% |
| 2006 | 15.15 | -4.6% |
| 2007 | 14.6 | -3.7% |
| 2008 | 15.18 | +4.0% |
| 2009 | 16.66 | +9.7% |
| 2010 | 18.04 | +8.3% |
| 2011 | 17.18 | -4.8% |
| 2012 | 17.34 | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 18.52 | +6.8% |
| 2014 | 18.4 | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 18.76 | +2.0% |
| 2016 | 18.76 | -0.0% |
| 2017 | 19.16 | +2.1% |
| 2018 | 18.9 | -1.4% |
| 2019 | 21.69 | +14.8% |
| 2020 | 22.29 | +2.8% |
| 2021 | 20.77 | -6.8% |
| 2022 | 19.19 | -7.6% |
| 2023 | 18.51 | -3.5% |
| 2024 | 18.87 | +1.9% |
| 2025 | 17.93 | -5.0% |
| 2026 | 17.74 | -1.1% |
| 2027 | 17.43 | -1.7% |
| 2028 | 17.22 | -1.2% |
| 2029 | 16.98 | -1.4% |
| 2030 | 16.81 | -1.0% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 16.81 is below the median for high income countries, which is 39.25, 43% of the median. (66 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 16.81 is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 26.79, 63% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 15.74 | 13.75 | 17.42 | 9 |
| 2000s | 16.47 | 14.6 | 18.55 | 10 |
| 2010s | 18.67 | 17.18 | 21.69 | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.69 | 16.98 | 22.29 | 10 |
| 2030s | 16.81 | 16.81 | 16.81 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
- 174 Dominican Republic 17.43 compare
- 175 Madagascar 17.18 compare
- 176 Indonesia 16.99 compare
- 178 Venezuela 16.74 compare
- 179 Cameroon 16.48 compare
- 180 Democratic Republic of Congo 16.48 compare
More public sector data for Costa Rica
- Democracy, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Elected parliament, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote in practice, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Arms imports 8.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2019)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 1.6 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2019)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0001 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2019)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 8.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2019)
Frequently asked questions
- What is expenditure, general government, percent of gdp in Costa Rica?
- Expenditure, general government, percent of gdp in Costa Rica was 16.81 in 2030, according to International Monetary Fund.
- What is the highest expenditure, general government, percent of gdp recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 22.29 in 2020.
- What is the lowest expenditure, general government, percent of gdp recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.75 in 1992.
- How does Costa Rica rank for expenditure, general government, percent of gdp?
- Costa Rica ranks 177th out of 195 countries with data for 2030.
- Is expenditure, general government, percent of gdp rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 24.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from International Monetary Fund, published as part of Expenditure, General government, Percent of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 40 observations, free to reuse under IMF Terms and Conditions (attribution required).
About this data
Fiscal Monitor (FM) 2025 October