Costa Rica: Taxes on exports (current LCU)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Costa Rica's taxes on exports (current LCU) fell 6.6% on 2023 (from 11.69 billion to 10.93 billion).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +13.2% and a typical year strayed about 49% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 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 1,050% in 1974 and the biggest yearly fall was 67.3% in 1996. 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 the straight-line trend is upward, about 953.74 million a year. A straight line explains 75% of the movement over 10 observed years.

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 6th highest value of the 25 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

• Tanzania — 3rd of 25: 97.51 billion
• Angola — 4th of 25: 82.32 billion
• Uganda — 5th of 25: 17.66 billion
• Malaysia — 7th of 25: 2.09 billion
• Belarus — 8th of 25: 1.75 billion
• Ukraine — 9th of 25: 686.9 million

What this measures

Export taxes are taxes on goods or services that become payable to government when the goods leave the economic territory or when the services are delivered to non-residents. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This series is expressed in local currency units.

Limitations: For most countries central government finance data have been consolidated into one account, but for others only budgetary central government accounts are available. Countries reporting budgetary data are noted in the country metadata. Because budgetary accounts may not include all central government units (such as social security funds), they usually provide an incomplete picture. In federal states the central government accounts provide an incomplete view of total public finance. Data on government revenue and expense are collected by the IMF through questionnaires to member countries and by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

All 53 values

Taxes on exports (current LCU) in nearby economies

• Argentina — 5.69 trillion (2024)
• Bahamas, The — 246.54 million (2024)
• Brazil — 5.84 million (2024)
• Dominican Republic — 7.66 million (2015)
• Guatemala — 6,994 (2024)
• Mexico — 483,863 (2024)

More public sector data for Costa Rica

• Military expenditure (current USD) — 0 (2025)
• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 0 (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 0% (2025)
• Grants and other revenue (current LCU) — 2.62 trillion (2024)
• Grants and other revenue (% of revenue) — 18.37% (2024)
• Social contributions (current LCU) — 4.93 trillion (2024)
• Social contributions (% of revenue) — 34.59% (2024)
• Revenue, excluding grants (current LCU) — 13.66 trillion (2024)
• Revenue, excluding grants (% of GDP) — 27.42% (2024)
• Taxes on exports (% of tax revenue)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Costa Rica's taxes on exports (current LCU)?

10.93 billion in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1972?

It is up 54,526% from 20 million in 1972 (12.89% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 12.6 billion in 2022 and the lowest 20 million in 1972.

How does Costa Rica rank?

6th highest of 25 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in taxes on exports (current LCU) unusual for Costa Rica?

In 2024, Costa Rica's taxes on exports (current LCU) fell 6.6% on 2023 (from 11.69 billion to 10.93 billion). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +13.2% and a typical year strayed about 49% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 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 GC.TAX.EXPT.CN, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF) 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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