Proportion of total government spending on essential services in Costa Rica

Costa Rica: Proportion of total government spending on essential services was 64.6% in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
64.6%
Change on year
down 0.4%
World rank
17th
of 114 countries
All-time high
67.3%
in 2016
All-time low
29.8%
in 2008
Years of data
24
2000–2023

Proportion of total government spending on essential services in Costa Rica, 2000–2023

02040602000201120232000: 67.32001: 64.82002: 30.22003: 58.22004: 32.92005: 31.82006: 32.62007: 32.72008: 29.82009: 33.22010: 34.92011: 34.62012: 35.72013: 66.92014: 66.32015: 662016: 67.32017: 66.32018: 67.22019: 60.72020: 662021: 64.92022: 64.92023: 64.6

Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.

Analysis

In 2023, proportion of total government spending on essential services in Costa Rica stood at 64.6%.

That represents a change of down 0.4% on the previous year and down 3.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, proportion of total government spending on essential services in Costa Rica peaked at 67.3% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 29.8%, in 2008.

Costa Rica ranks 17th of 114 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.

Proportion of total government spending on essential services in Costa Rica, year by year

Annual values for Proportion of total government spending on essential services (%) in Costa Rica, 2000 to 2023.
Year Value Change
2000 67.3%
2001 64.8% -3.7%
2002 30.2% -53.4%
2003 58.2% +92.6%
2004 32.9% -43.4%
2005 31.8% -3.5%
2006 32.6% +2.7%
2007 32.7% +0.2%
2008 29.8% -8.8%
2009 33.2% +11.4%
2010 34.9% +5.0%
2011 34.6% -0.7%
2012 35.7% +3.3%
2013 66.9% +87.2%
2014 66.3% -0.9%
2015 66.0% -0.5%
2016 67.3% +2.0%
2017 66.3% -1.5%
2018 67.2% +1.3%
2019 60.7% -9.7%
2020 66.0% +8.7%
2021 64.9% -1.6%
2022 64.9% +0.0%
2023 64.6% -0.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 41.3% 29.8% 67.3% 10
2010s 56.6% 34.6% 67.3% 10
2020s 65.1% 64.6% 66.0% 4

Countries ranked near Costa Rica

  1. 14 Portugal 65.3% compare
  2. 15 Netherlands (Kingdom of the) 65.2% compare
  3. 16 Spain 65.1% compare
  4. 18 Belgium 64.4% compare
  5. 19 Slovenia 64.0% compare
  6. 20 Norway 63.9% compare

See the full ranking of 125 places →

More infrastructure data for Costa Rica

All data for Costa Rica →

Frequently asked questions

What is proportion of total government spending on essential services in Costa Rica?
Proportion of total government spending on essential services in Costa Rica was 64.6% in 2023, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
What is the highest proportion of total government spending on essential services recorded in Costa Rica?
The highest recorded value was 67.3% in 2016.
What is the lowest proportion of total government spending on essential services recorded in Costa Rica?
The lowest recorded value was 29.8% in 2008.
How does Costa Rica rank for proportion of total government spending on essential services?
Costa Rica ranks 17th out of 114 countries with data for 2023.
Is proportion of total government spending on essential services rising or falling in Costa Rica?
Over the last ten years it is down 3.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Proportion of total government spending on essential services (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Proportion of total government spending on essential services in Costa Rica. Statizoid, drawing on United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Retrieved 31 August 2026, from https://infrastructure.statizoid.com/stat/proportion-of-total-government-spending-on-essential-services-percent/costa-rica/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://infrastructure.statizoid.com/stat/proportion-of-total-government-spending-on-essential-services-percent/costa-rica/">Proportion of total government spending on essential services in Costa Rica</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Proportion of total government spending on essential services (%)
Source
United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database
Licence
UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested)
Coverage
125 places, 2,281 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed