Costa Rica: New businesses registered (number)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Costa Rica's new businesses registered (number) rose 9.1% on 2023 (from 20,475 to 22,333).

Across the 10 yearly changes before that (2014 to 2023), the average change was +9.9% and a typical year strayed about 26.3% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.0 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 57.3% in 2016 and the biggest yearly fall was 22.8% in 2020. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 22% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2024, Costa Rica had the 48th highest value of the 127 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Costa Rica in the 2024 ranking

• Ireland — 45th of 127: 23,440
• Estonia — 46th of 127: 23,154
• Rwanda — 47th of 127: 22,734
• Botswana — 49th of 127: 21,456
• Finland — 50th of 127: 20,690
• Slovak Republic — 51st of 127: 20,239

What this measures

New businesses registered are the number of new limited liability corporations (or its equivalent) registered in the calendar year.

Limitations: The definition of entrepreneurship used is limited to the formal sector. Yet, it should be noted that the exclusion of the informal sector is based on the difficulties of quantifying the number of firms that compose it, rather than on its relevance for developing economies. Data collected from economies categorized as offshore financial centers by Eurostat are excluded from the analysis, because registered entities in these countries may not fit the objective of the Entrepreneurship Database aiming at measuring formally registered companies with actual economic activities.

All 12 values

New businesses registered (number) in nearby economies

• Antigua and Barbuda — 275 (2024)
• Argentina — 15,818 (2024)
• Barbados — 1,517 (2024)
• Belize — 3,710 (2024)
• Brazil — 979,211 (2024)
• Cayman Islands — 11,197 (2024)
• Chile — 123,159 (2023)
• Colombia — 82,208 (2024)
• Dominica — 171 (2024)
• Ecuador — 19,317 (2024)
• El Salvador — 4,862 (2024)

More private sector & trade data for Costa Rica

• Merchandise trade (% of GDP) — 52.39% (2025)
• Merchandise imports (current US$) — US$27.48 billion (2025)
• Merchandise exports (current US$) — US$26.43 billion (2025)
• Merchandise imports from high-income economies (% of total merchandise imports) — 61.44% (2023)
• Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside region (% of total merchandise imports) — 20.08% (2023)
• Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in Latin America & the Caribbean (% of total merchandise imports) — 18.45% (2023)
• Merchandise imports by the reporting economy, residual (% of total merchandise imports) — 0.03% (2023)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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Questions people ask

What is Costa Rica's new businesses registered (number)?

22,333 in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2013?

It is up 117.4% from 10,273 in 2013 (7.31% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 22,333 in 2024 and the lowest 10,273 in 2013.

How does Costa Rica rank?

48th highest of 127 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in new businesses registered (number) unusual for Costa Rica?

In 2024, Costa Rica's new businesses registered (number) rose 9.1% on 2023 (from 20,475 to 22,333). Across the 10 yearly changes before that (2014 to 2023), the average change was +9.9% and a typical year strayed about 26.3% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.0 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator IC.BUS.NREG, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Entrepreneurship Database, World Bank (WB), uri: https://www.worldbank.org/en/programs/entrepreneurship Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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