Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (% of GDP) in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (% of GDP) was -0.5% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) in Costa Rica, 1973–2024
Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Costa Rica recorded -0.5% for net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) in 2024.
That represents a change of down 216.7% on the previous year and up 91.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) in Costa Rica peaked at 1.7% in 2007 and was at its lowest, -7.2%, in 1980.
That places Costa Rica 41st out of 156 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (% of GDP) in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | -2.3% | — |
| 1974 | 0.2% | -110.0% |
| 1975 | -1.1% | -598.1% |
| 1976 | -2.4% | +113.9% |
| 1977 | -2.6% | +8.4% |
| 1978 | -4.1% | +58.0% |
| 1979 | -6.6% | +59.2% |
| 1980 | -7.2% | +9.5% |
| 1981 | -3.2% | -56.3% |
| 1982 | -0.9% | -70.4% |
| 1983 | -1.8% | +97.2% |
| 1984 | -0.5% | -72.7% |
| 1985 | -1.1% | +113.9% |
| 1986 | -4.3% | +298.3% |
| 1987 | -2.6% | -40.0% |
| 1988 | 0.6% | -122.3% |
| 1989 | -1.5% | -367.6% |
| 1990 | -2.5% | +64.2% |
| 1991 | -1.0% | -61.5% |
| 1992 | 0.8% | -178.9% |
| 1993 | -0.2% | -119.6% |
| 1994 | -4.5% | +2864.0% |
| 1995 | -2.2% | -51.7% |
| 1996 | -2.9% | +33.0% |
| 1997 | -1.9% | -34.8% |
| 1998 | -1.2% | -33.6% |
| 1999 | -1.6% | +26.2% |
| 2000 | -1.4% | -10.8% |
| 2001 | -1.2% | -10.9% |
| 2002 | -3.5% | +178.1% |
| 2003 | -1.6% | -53.2% |
| 2004 | -1.3% | -18.2% |
| 2005 | -0.8% | -40.3% |
| 2006 | 1.1% | -243.5% |
| 2007 | 1.7% | +49.5% |
| 2008 | -0.8% | -144.7% |
| 2009 | -3.2% | +322.5% |
| 2010 | -4.2% | +30.0% |
| 2011 | -3.4% | -19.7% |
| 2012 | -3.9% | +15.5% |
| 2013 | -4.3% | +12.3% |
| 2014 | -5.7% | +30.4% |
| 2019 | -2.3% | -59.2% |
| 2020 | -5.3% | +129.8% |
| 2021 | -2.8% | -48.3% |
| 2022 | -0.1% | -98.1% |
| 2023 | 0.4% | -950.8% |
| 2024 | -0.5% | -216.7% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's -0.5% is above the median for high income countries, which is -1.8%, 28% of the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's -0.5% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is -2.3%, 22% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (% of GDP) in Costa Rica changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | -2864.0% | -0.2% | -4.5% |
| 2023 | +950.8% | -0.1% | 0.4% |
| 1975 | -598.1% | 0.2% | -1.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | -2.7% | -6.6% | 0.2% | 7 |
| 1980s | -2.3% | -7.2% | 0.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | -1.7% | -4.5% | 0.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | -1.1% | -3.5% | 1.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | -4.0% | -5.7% | -2.3% | 6 |
| 2020s | -1.6% | -5.3% | 0.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
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 net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) in Costa Rica?
- Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) in Costa Rica was -0.5% in 2024, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 1.7% in 2007.
- What is the lowest net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was -7.2% in 1980.
- How does Costa Rica rank for net lending (+) / net borrowing (-)?
- Costa Rica ranks 41st out of 156 countries with data for 2024.
- Is net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 91.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Net lending (+) / net borrowing (–) equals government revenue minus expense, minus net investment in nonfinancial assets. It is also equal to the net result of transactions in financial assets and liabilities. Net lending/net borrowing is a summary measure indicating the extent to which government is either putting financial resources at the disposal of other sectors in the economy or abroad, or utilizing the financial resources generated by other sectors in the economy or from abroad. 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.