Current health expenditure (% of GDP) (Global Health) in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Current health expenditure (% of GDP) (Global Health) was 6.9% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Current health expenditure in Costa Rica, 2000–2023
Source: Global Health Expenditure Database, updated December 12th, 2025, World Health Organization (WHO). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2023, current health expenditure in Costa Rica stood at 6.9%.
The figure is down 4.4% on the previous year and down 10.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, current health expenditure in Costa Rica peaked at 8.1% in 2011 and was at its lowest, 6.5%, in 2001.
Costa Rica ranks 87th of 193 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.
Current health expenditure (% of GDP) (Global Health) in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 6.6% | — |
| 2001 | 6.5% | -1.4% |
| 2002 | 6.9% | +6.1% |
| 2003 | 7.0% | +1.5% |
| 2004 | 6.6% | -4.9% |
| 2005 | 6.7% | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 6.9% | +4.1% |
| 2007 | 7.0% | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 7.5% | +6.7% |
| 2009 | 7.9% | +5.2% |
| 2010 | 8.0% | +2.2% |
| 2011 | 8.1% | +1.2% |
| 2012 | 7.8% | -4.1% |
| 2013 | 7.7% | -1.3% |
| 2014 | 7.7% | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 7.6% | -0.9% |
| 2016 | 7.3% | -3.6% |
| 2017 | 7.0% | -3.7% |
| 2018 | 7.3% | +3.4% |
| 2019 | 7.2% | -0.9% |
| 2020 | 7.8% | +8.4% |
| 2021 | 7.6% | -2.7% |
| 2022 | 7.2% | -5.6% |
| 2023 | 6.9% | -4.4% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 6.9% is below the median for high income countries, which is 8.0%, 86% of the median. (64 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 6.9% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 6.8%, 1.0× the median. (33 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 6.9% | 6.5% | 7.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.6% | 7.0% | 8.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.4% | 6.9% | 7.8% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
More health data for Costa Rica
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.78 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.4617 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 35 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -3.42 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0248 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -3.37 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0259 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is current health expenditure in Costa Rica?
- Current health expenditure in Costa Rica was 6.9% in 2023, according to Global Health Expenditure Database, updated December 12th, 2025, World Health Organization (WHO).
- What is the highest current health expenditure recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 8.1% in 2011.
- What is the lowest current health expenditure recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.5% in 2001.
- How does Costa Rica rank for current health expenditure?
- Costa Rica ranks 87th out of 193 countries with data for 2023.
- Is current health expenditure rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from Global Health Expenditure Database, updated December 12th, 2025, World Health Organization (WHO), published as part of Current health expenditure (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Level of current health expenditure expressed as a percentage of GDP. Estimates of current health expenditures include healthcare goods and services consumed during each year. This indicator does not include capital health expenditures such as buildings, machinery, IT and stocks of vaccines for emergency or outbreaks.