Wage bill as a percentage of Public Expenditure in Costa Rica

Costa Rica: Wage bill as a percentage of Public Expenditure was 30.7% in 2022. ▲ Rising

Latest (2022)
30.7%
Change on year
down 1.9%
World rank
48th
of 191 countries
All-time high
40.2%
in 2011
All-time low
28.4%
in 2002
Years of data
23
2000–2022

Wage bill as a percentage of Public Expenditure in Costa Rica, 2000–2022

0102030402000201120222000: 28.92001: 29.42002: 28.42003: 302004: 29.52005: 34.52006: 35.22007: 34.62008: 33.82009: 37.52010: 37.22011: 40.22012: 39.42013: 38.12014: 37.62015: 37.42016: 36.12017: 34.62018: 35.12019: 31.82020: 32.12021: 31.32022: 30.7

Source: World Bank.

Analysis

In 2022, wage bill as a percentage of public expenditure in Costa Rica stood at 30.7%.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.9% on the previous year and down 22.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, wage bill as a percentage of public expenditure in Costa Rica peaked at 40.2% in 2011 and was at its lowest, 28.4%, in 2002.

Costa Rica ranks 48th of 191 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.

Wage bill as a percentage of Public Expenditure in Costa Rica, year by year

Annual values for Wage bill as a percentage of Public Expenditure in Costa Rica, 2000 to 2022.
Year Value Change
2000 28.9%
2001 29.4% +1.6%
2002 28.4% -3.3%
2003 30.0% +5.3%
2004 29.5% -1.5%
2005 34.5% +17.0%
2006 35.2% +1.9%
2007 34.6% -1.7%
2008 33.8% -2.4%
2009 37.5% +11.1%
2010 37.2% -0.8%
2011 40.2% +8.0%
2012 39.4% -2.0%
2013 38.1% -3.3%
2014 37.6% -1.3%
2015 37.4% -0.6%
2016 36.1% -3.4%
2017 34.6% -4.2%
2018 35.1% +1.2%
2019 31.8% -9.4%
2020 32.1% +0.9%
2021 31.3% -2.3%
2022 30.7% -1.9%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 32.2% 28.4% 37.5% 10
2010s 36.8% 31.8% 40.2% 10
2020s 31.4% 30.7% 32.1% 3

Countries ranked near Costa Rica

  1. 45 Sao Tome and Principe 31.0% compare
  2. 46 Solomon Islands 31.0% compare
  3. 47 Bahrain 30.8% compare
  4. 49 Russian Federation 30.7% compare
  5. 50 Iceland 30.6% compare
  6. 51 Seychelles 30.6% compare

See the full ranking of 191 places →

More reference data data for Costa Rica

All data for Costa Rica →

Frequently asked questions

What is wage bill as a percentage of public expenditure in Costa Rica?
Wage bill as a percentage of public expenditure in Costa Rica was 30.7% in 2022, according to the World Bank.
What is the highest wage bill as a percentage of public expenditure recorded in Costa Rica?
The highest recorded value was 40.2% in 2011.
What is the lowest wage bill as a percentage of public expenditure recorded in Costa Rica?
The lowest recorded value was 28.4% in 2002.
How does Costa Rica rank for wage bill as a percentage of public expenditure?
Costa Rica ranks 48th out of 191 countries with data for 2022.
Is wage bill as a percentage of public expenditure rising or falling in Costa Rica?
Over the last ten years it is down 22.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
The figures come from the World Bank, published as part of Wage bill as a percentage of Public Expenditure. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Wage bill as a percentage of Public Expenditure in Costa Rica. Statizoid. Retrieved 30 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/wage-bill-as-a-percentage-of-public-expenditure/costa-rica/

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About this data

Indicator
Wage bill as a percentage of Public Expenditure
Source
World Bank
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
191 places, 4,119 data points, 2000–2022
Last refreshed