Proportion of total government spending on essential services, social in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Proportion of total government spending on essential services, social was 25.8% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Proportion of total government spending on essential services, social in Costa Rica, 2000–2023
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, proportion of total government spending on essential services, social in Costa Rica stood at 25.8%. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.
The figure is up 3.1% on the previous year and up 22.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of total government spending on essential services, social in Costa Rica peaked at 25.8% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 13.5%, in 2010.
Costa Rica ranks 60th of 127 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Proportion of total government spending on essential services, social in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 24.7% | — |
| 2001 | 21.3% | -13.7% |
| 2002 | 15.5% | -27.3% |
| 2003 | 17.3% | +11.6% |
| 2004 | 16.5% | -4.3% |
| 2005 | 16.1% | -2.8% |
| 2006 | 16.0% | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 16.0% | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 13.8% | -13.5% |
| 2009 | 14.7% | +5.9% |
| 2010 | 13.5% | -7.9% |
| 2011 | 14.3% | +5.5% |
| 2012 | 13.8% | -3.4% |
| 2013 | 21.1% | +53.1% |
| 2014 | 22.4% | +6.4% |
| 2015 | 22.5% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 22.9% | +1.8% |
| 2017 | 22.5% | -1.8% |
| 2018 | 20.3% | -9.7% |
| 2019 | 15.5% | -23.4% |
| 2020 | 24.2% | +55.5% |
| 2021 | 22.5% | -6.9% |
| 2022 | 25.0% | +11.0% |
| 2023 | 25.8% | +3.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 17.2% | 13.8% | 24.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 18.9% | 13.5% | 22.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 24.3% | 22.5% | 25.8% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
More poverty & inequality data for Costa Rica
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 10 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 1.33 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 3,807 kg per hectare (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate -14.41 % change on previous year (2024)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 24.93 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 24.9% (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is proportion of total government spending on essential services, social in Costa Rica?
- Proportion of total government spending on essential services, social in Costa Rica was 25.8% in 2023, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest proportion of total government spending on essential services, social recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 25.8% in 2023.
- What is the lowest proportion of total government spending on essential services, social recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.5% in 2010.
- How does Costa Rica rank for proportion of total government spending on essential services, social?
- Costa Rica ranks 60th out of 127 countries with data for 2023.
- Is proportion of total government spending on essential services, social rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 22.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Proportion of total government spending on essential services, social protection (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).