Capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public was 2.9% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public in Costa Rica, 2001–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public in Costa Rica stood at 2.9%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.9% on the previous year and down 28.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public in Costa Rica peaked at 4.4% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 2001.
Costa Rica ranks 102nd of 124 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 0.0% | — |
| 2002 | 0.0% | — |
| 2016 | 4.0% | — |
| 2017 | 4.4% | +10.3% |
| 2018 | 2.6% | -40.8% |
| 2019 | 4.2% | +62.4% |
| 2020 | 3.6% | -15.5% |
| 2021 | 2.9% | -18.5% |
| 2022 | 3.0% | +2.6% |
| 2023 | 2.9% | -3.9% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 2.9% is below the median for high income countries, which is 7.9%, 36% of the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 2.9% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 3.8%, 76% of the median. (22 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 2010s | 3.8% | 2.6% | 4.4% | 4 |
| 2020s | 3.1% | 2.9% | 3.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
More education data for Costa Rica
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 37,015 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 14,772 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 62,694 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 61,047 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 464,490 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 460,126 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -3.03 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0897 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public in Costa Rica?
- Capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public in Costa Rica was 2.9% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 4.4% in 2017.
- What is the lowest capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 2001.
- How does Costa Rica rank for capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public?
- Costa Rica ranks 102nd out of 124 countries with data for 2023.
- Is capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 28.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public institutions (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 10 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release