Costa Rica: Taxes on goods and services (% of revenue)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Costa Rica's taxes on goods and services (% of revenue) rose 1.77 percentage points on 2023 (from 23.87% to 25.63%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2023), the average change was −0.06 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.44 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.7 standard deviations above 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 10.22 percentage points in 1990 and the biggest yearly fall was 8.34 percentage points in 1988. 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 downward, about 0.75 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 62% 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 64th highest value of the 91 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

• Netherlands — 61st of 91: 26.28%
• Ukraine — 62nd of 91: 26.23%
• Mongolia — 63rd of 91: 25.91%
• Papua New Guinea — 65th of 91: 25.55%
• Namibia — 66th of 91: 25.38%
• Philippines — 67th of 91: 25.29%

What this measures

General taxes on goods and services are taxes levied on the production, leasing, delivery, sale, purchase or other change of ownership of a wide range of goods and the provision of a wide range of services. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of revenue which includes all transactions that add to the amount of economic value of a unit or sector.

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).

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a median.

All 51 values

Taxes on goods and services (% of revenue) in nearby economies

• Argentina — 31.77% (2024)
• Bahamas, The — 58.67% (2024)
• Barbados — 45.88% (2016)
• Belize — 48.07% (2017)
• Brazil — 20.34% (2024)
• Chile — 47.01% (2024)
• Colombia — 24.34% (2024)
• Dominican Republic — 47.92% (2024)
• Ecuador — 21.07% (2022)
• El Salvador — 37.04% (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 (current LCU)

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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• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Costa Rica's taxes on goods and services (% of revenue)?

25.63% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1972?

It is down 11.67 percentage points from 37.3% in 1972. The highest value was 40.12% in 1973 and the lowest 17.34% in 1989.

How does Costa Rica rank?

64th highest of 91 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in taxes on goods and services (% of revenue) unusual for Costa Rica?

In 2024, Costa Rica's taxes on goods and services (% of revenue) rose 1.77 percentage points on 2023 (from 23.87% to 25.63%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2023), the average change was −0.06 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.44 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.7 standard deviations above 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.GSRV.RV.ZS, 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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