Government spending by function in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Government spending by function was 26.1% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Government spending by function in Costa Rica, 2012–2021
Source: OECD (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of government expenditure.
Analysis
Costa Rica recorded 26.1% for government spending by function in 2021.
That represents a change of down 6.0% on the previous year and up 5.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending by function in Costa Rica peaked at 27.8% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 24.7%, in 2019.
That places Costa Rica 33rd out of 37 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Government spending by function in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | % of government expenditure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 24.8% | — |
| 2013 | 25.4% | +2.4% |
| 2014 | 25.4% | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 25.2% | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 25.6% | +1.7% |
| 2017 | 25.3% | -1.2% |
| 2018 | 25.9% | +2.5% |
| 2019 | 24.7% | -4.8% |
| 2020 | 27.8% | +12.5% |
| 2021 | 26.1% | -6.0% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 26.1% is below the median for high income countries, which is 36.4%, 72% of the median. (36 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 25.3% | 24.7% | 25.9% | 8 |
| 2020s | 26.9% | 26.1% | 27.8% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
More reference data data for Costa Rica
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.2987 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.406 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.27 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0167 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.27 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.3161 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 2.24 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 5.91 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0907 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending by function in Costa Rica?
- Government spending by function in Costa Rica was 26.1% in 2021, according to OECD (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest government spending by function recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 27.8% in 2020.
- What is the lowest government spending by function recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 24.7% in 2019.
- How does Costa Rica rank for government spending by function?
- Costa Rica ranks 33rd out of 37 countries with data for 2021.
- Is government spending by function rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from OECD (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Government spending by function. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 10 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
General government expenditure on social protection. This data is divided by total government expenditure, expressed as a percentage.