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.
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
- Spring temperature anomalies 0.2864 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.8623 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.1052 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.3865 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.3144 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 143 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
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.