Taxes on international trade in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Taxes on international trade was 4.0% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Taxes on international trade in Costa Rica, 1972–2024
Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of revenue.
Analysis
In 2024, taxes on international trade in Costa Rica stood at 4.0%.
The figure is up 6.7% on the previous year and down 24.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, taxes on international trade in Costa Rica peaked at 34.2% in 1988 and was at its lowest, 3.6%, in 2020.
Costa Rica ranks 79th of 154 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Taxes on international trade in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | % of revenue | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 18.3% | — |
| 1973 | 17.9% | -1.9% |
| 1974 | 24.5% | +36.8% |
| 1975 | 22.1% | -9.7% |
| 1976 | 20.3% | -8.3% |
| 1977 | 22.6% | +11.2% |
| 1978 | 19.5% | -13.6% |
| 1979 | 20.1% | +3.2% |
| 1980 | 18.8% | -6.3% |
| 1981 | 27.4% | +45.4% |
| 1982 | 29.4% | +7.2% |
| 1983 | 22.4% | -23.8% |
| 1984 | 21.0% | -6.0% |
| 1985 | 21.1% | +0.4% |
| 1986 | 21.1% | -0.3% |
| 1987 | 23.0% | +9.3% |
| 1988 | 34.2% | +48.6% |
| 1989 | 32.4% | -5.2% |
| 1990 | 23.0% | -29.2% |
| 1991 | 19.7% | -14.4% |
| 1992 | 16.6% | -15.8% |
| 1993 | 15.0% | -9.6% |
| 1994 | 14.4% | -3.5% |
| 1995 | 14.9% | +3.2% |
| 1996 | 8.4% | -43.7% |
| 1997 | 9.1% | +8.7% |
| 1998 | 8.5% | -6.8% |
| 1999 | 5.7% | -32.7% |
| 2000 | 4.8% | -15.3% |
| 2001 | 4.6% | -5.3% |
| 2002 | 4.4% | -4.2% |
| 2003 | 4.5% | +3.3% |
| 2004 | 5.1% | +11.8% |
| 2005 | 5.1% | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 5.0% | -2.4% |
| 2007 | 5.1% | +2.6% |
| 2008 | 5.1% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 4.0% | -21.0% |
| 2010 | 4.1% | +2.7% |
| 2011 | 5.0% | +20.2% |
| 2012 | 4.9% | -1.7% |
| 2013 | 5.1% | +4.1% |
| 2014 | 5.2% | +2.9% |
| 2015 | 5.2% | -1.1% |
| 2016 | 5.6% | +7.7% |
| 2017 | 5.7% | +3.4% |
| 2018 | 5.1% | -10.8% |
| 2019 | 4.4% | -14.4% |
| 2020 | 3.6% | -17.4% |
| 2021 | 3.9% | +7.4% |
| 2022 | 4.1% | +4.8% |
| 2023 | 3.7% | -9.0% |
| 2024 | 4.0% | +6.7% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 4.0% is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.4%, 8.9× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 4.0% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 4.7%, 84% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 20.6% | 17.9% | 24.5% | 8 |
| 1980s | 25.1% | 18.8% | 34.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 13.5% | 5.7% | 23.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.8% | 4.0% | 5.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.0% | 4.1% | 5.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.9% | 3.6% | 4.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
- 76 Tajikistan 4.1% compare
- 77 Bahrain 4.1% compare
- 78 Egypt 4.1% compare
- 80 Azerbaijan 3.8% compare
- 81 Russian Federation 3.7% compare
- 82 Papua New Guinea 3.7% compare
More public sector data for Costa Rica
- 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)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 0 current USD per person (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP 0 current USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), gaps filled 0 current USD (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per square kilometre 156.68 SIPRI trend indicator values per square kilometre (2019)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per square kilometre 0 current USD per square kilometre (2023)
- Tax revenue 13.5% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is taxes on international trade in Costa Rica?
- Taxes on international trade in Costa Rica was 4.0% in 2024, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest taxes on international trade recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 34.2% in 1988.
- What is the lowest taxes on international trade recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.6% in 2020.
- How does Costa Rica rank for taxes on international trade?
- Costa Rica ranks 79th out of 154 countries with data for 2024.
- Is taxes on international trade rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 24.0%. 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 Taxes on international trade (% of revenue). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Taxes on international trade are taxes that become payable when goods cross the national or customs frontiers of the economic territory or when transactions in services exchange between residents and non-residents. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of revenue which includes all transactions that add to the amount of economic value of a unit or sector.