Costa Rica vs Iceland: Government spending by function
Costa Rica
26.1%
in 2021
Iceland
23.9%
in 2023
Costa Rica rank
33rd
Iceland rank
36th
Government spending by function over time
- Costa Rica
- Iceland
How they compare
Costa Rica currently reports 26.1% against 23.9% in Iceland, a difference of 2.2%.
That makes Costa Rica's figure about 1.1 times Iceland's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 10 shared years of data; in 2012 it was Costa Rica ahead.
Costa Rica ranks 33rd and Iceland ranks 36th of 37 countries.
Costa Rica has averaged higher in every one of the 2 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | Iceland | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 25.3% | 22.8% | 2.5% | Costa Rica |
| 2020s | 26.9% | 26.9% | 0.0% | Costa Rica |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher government spending by function, Costa Rica or Iceland?
- Costa Rica, at 26.1% against 23.9% in Iceland as of 2021.
- What is the difference in government spending by function between Costa Rica and Iceland?
- 2.2%, with Costa Rica ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and Iceland?
- 10 years are reported by both, from 2012 to 2021.
- How do Costa Rica and Iceland rank globally for government spending by function?
- Costa Rica ranks 33rd and Iceland ranks 36th of 37 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- OECD (2026) β with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Government spending by function. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
General government expenditure on social protection. This data is divided by total government expenditure, expressed as a percentage.