Subnational government expenditure in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Subnational government expenditure was 38.24 Percentage of GDP in 2024. ▬ Flat
Subnational government expenditure in Costa Rica, 2000–2024
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage of GDP.
Analysis
Costa Rica recorded 38.24 Percentage of GDP for subnational government expenditure in 2024.
The figure is down 4.4% on the previous year and up 27.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, subnational government expenditure in Costa Rica peaked at 40 Percentage of GDP in 2023 and was at its lowest, 29.03 Percentage of GDP, in 2012.
That places Costa Rica 31st out of 36 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Subnational government expenditure in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | Percentage of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 34.47 Percentage of GDP | — |
| 2001 | 34.88 Percentage of GDP | +1.2% |
| 2002 | 35.37 Percentage of GDP | +1.4% |
| 2003 | 34.1 Percentage of GDP | -3.6% |
| 2004 | 33.12 Percentage of GDP | -2.9% |
| 2005 | 32.78 Percentage of GDP | -1.0% |
| 2006 | 30.87 Percentage of GDP | -5.8% |
| 2007 | 31 Percentage of GDP | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 35.51 Percentage of GDP | +14.5% |
| 2009 | 35.35 Percentage of GDP | -0.4% |
| 2010 | 39.23 Percentage of GDP | +11.0% |
| 2011 | 38.87 Percentage of GDP | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 29.03 Percentage of GDP | -25.3% |
| 2013 | 30.09 Percentage of GDP | +3.6% |
| 2014 | 29.92 Percentage of GDP | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 30.16 Percentage of GDP | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 30.47 Percentage of GDP | +1.0% |
| 2017 | 30.84 Percentage of GDP | +1.2% |
| 2018 | 30.92 Percentage of GDP | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 31.57 Percentage of GDP | +2.1% |
| 2020 | 34.18 Percentage of GDP | +8.3% |
| 2021 | 31.36 Percentage of GDP | -8.2% |
| 2022 | 29.13 Percentage of GDP | -7.1% |
| 2023 | 40 Percentage of GDP | +37.3% |
| 2024 | 38.24 Percentage of GDP | -4.4% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 38.24 Percentage of GDP is below the median for high income countries, which is 45.47 Percentage of GDP, 84% of the median. (33 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Subnational government expenditure 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | +37.3% | 29.13 Percentage of GDP | 40 Percentage of GDP |
| 2012 | -25.3% | 38.87 Percentage of GDP | 29.03 Percentage of GDP |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 33.75 Percentage of GDP | 30.87 Percentage of GDP | 35.51 Percentage of GDP | 10 |
| 2010s | 32.11 Percentage of GDP | 29.03 Percentage of GDP | 39.23 Percentage of GDP | 10 |
| 2020s | 34.58 Percentage of GDP | 29.13 Percentage of GDP | 40 Percentage of GDP | 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)
- Universal right to vote in practice, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Elected parliament, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Democracy 7 (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected 1 (2025)
- Elected parliament 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is subnational government expenditure in Costa Rica?
- Subnational government expenditure in Costa Rica was 38.24 Percentage of GDP in 2024, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest subnational government expenditure recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 40 Percentage of GDP in 2023.
- What is the lowest subnational government expenditure recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 29.03 Percentage of GDP in 2012.
- How does Costa Rica rank for subnational government expenditure?
- Costa Rica ranks 31st out of 36 countries with data for 2024.
- Is subnational government expenditure rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 27.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Subnational government expenditure. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required).
About this data
This dataset includes subnational government expenditure expressed in several units of measures: USD PPP, USD PPP per capita, percentage of GDP, and percentage of total public expenditure. The Subnational Government Structure and Finance Dashboard compiles several datasets with comparable data on institutional organisation and public finance at subnational government level. It provides data for the time period 2000 - 2024 (based on data availability), for all 38 OECD member countries, and the average for the European Union. It includes data for the subnational government sector, for both state and local government levels for some federal countries. The data for the latest year available is also available in PDF format and via an Interactive dashboard.