Share of government spending going to interest payments in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Share of government spending going to interest payments was 16.7% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of government spending going to interest payments in Costa Rica, 1973–2023
Source: International Monetary Fund (IMF) Government Finance Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of expense.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of government spending going to interest payments in Costa Rica is 16.7%, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 4.9% on the previous year and up 77.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of government spending going to interest payments in Costa Rica peaked at 20.9% in 1996 and was at its lowest, 6.8%, in 1976.
That places Costa Rica 19th out of 152 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 51 years of available data.
Share of government spending going to interest payments in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | % of expense | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 8.9% | — |
| 1974 | 8.5% | -3.6% |
| 1975 | 7.3% | -14.6% |
| 1976 | 6.8% | -6.8% |
| 1977 | 7.5% | +10.6% |
| 1978 | 7.3% | -3.6% |
| 1979 | 8.4% | +16.1% |
| 1980 | 10.1% | +19.5% |
| 1981 | 8.8% | -12.5% |
| 1982 | 9.9% | +12.0% |
| 1983 | 9.1% | -8.1% |
| 1984 | 10.8% | +18.9% |
| 1985 | 9.5% | -11.9% |
| 1986 | 9.7% | +2.5% |
| 1987 | 8.9% | -8.7% |
| 1988 | 10.6% | +19.1% |
| 1989 | 10.3% | -2.5% |
| 1990 | 12.8% | +23.7% |
| 1991 | 17.1% | +33.5% |
| 1992 | 16.2% | -5.3% |
| 1993 | 12.7% | -21.4% |
| 1994 | 14.0% | +9.8% |
| 1995 | 20.4% | +46.0% |
| 1996 | 20.9% | +2.6% |
| 1997 | 18.1% | -13.3% |
| 1998 | 15.7% | -13.5% |
| 1999 | 18.2% | +16.4% |
| 2000 | 17.3% | -5.3% |
| 2001 | 17.9% | +3.6% |
| 2002 | 17.8% | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 18.4% | +3.3% |
| 2004 | 18.2% | -0.9% |
| 2005 | 18.2% | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 17.5% | -4.0% |
| 2007 | 14.3% | -17.9% |
| 2008 | 9.8% | -32.0% |
| 2009 | 8.4% | -14.3% |
| 2010 | 8.1% | -3.4% |
| 2011 | 8.3% | +3.0% |
| 2012 | 7.8% | -6.8% |
| 2013 | 9.4% | +21.3% |
| 2014 | 9.3% | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 9.4% | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 10.2% | +8.2% |
| 2017 | 10.1% | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 11.9% | +17.8% |
| 2019 | 13.8% | +16.0% |
| 2020 | 14.6% | +5.5% |
| 2021 | 15.4% | +5.4% |
| 2022 | 15.9% | +3.7% |
| 2023 | 16.7% | +4.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 7.8% | 6.8% | 8.9% | 7 |
| 1980s | 9.8% | 8.8% | 10.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 16.6% | 12.7% | 20.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 15.8% | 8.4% | 18.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.8% | 7.8% | 13.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 15.6% | 14.6% | 16.7% | 4 |
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 share of government spending going to interest payments in Costa Rica?
- Share of government spending going to interest payments in Costa Rica was 16.7% in 2023, according to International Monetary Fund (IMF) Government Finance Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of government spending going to interest payments recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 20.9% in 1996.
- What is the lowest share of government spending going to interest payments recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.8% in 1976.
- How does Costa Rica rank for share of government spending going to interest payments?
- Costa Rica ranks 19th out of 152 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of government spending going to interest payments rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 77.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from International Monetary Fund (IMF) Government Finance Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of government spending going to interest payments. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Interest expenditures on government debt, as share of total central government expenditures. Interest expenditures on government debt include payments on long-term bonds, long-term loans, and other debt instruments.