Domestic general government health expenditure in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Domestic general government health expenditure was 4.6% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Domestic general government 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
The most recent figure for domestic general government health expenditure in Costa Rica is 4.6%, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 6.9% on the previous year and down 15.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, domestic general government health expenditure in Costa Rica peaked at 5.8% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 4.2%, in 2001.
That places Costa Rica 67th out of 193 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Domestic general government health expenditure in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 4.3% | — |
| 2001 | 4.2% | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 4.6% | +8.2% |
| 2003 | 4.6% | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 4.4% | -5.4% |
| 2005 | 4.3% | -2.6% |
| 2006 | 4.6% | +7.6% |
| 2007 | 4.6% | +1.0% |
| 2008 | 5.1% | +9.3% |
| 2009 | 5.6% | +10.1% |
| 2010 | 5.8% | +4.1% |
| 2011 | 5.7% | -1.8% |
| 2012 | 5.5% | -3.5% |
| 2013 | 5.5% | -0.9% |
| 2014 | 5.4% | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 5.5% | +1.4% |
| 2016 | 5.4% | -2.8% |
| 2017 | 5.2% | -3.5% |
| 2018 | 5.3% | +1.8% |
| 2019 | 5.2% | -0.7% |
| 2020 | 5.6% | +7.3% |
| 2021 | 5.4% | -4.7% |
| 2022 | 5.0% | -7.5% |
| 2023 | 4.6% | -6.9% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 4.6% is below the median for high income countries, which is 5.3%, 87% of the median. (64 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 4.6% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 3.4%, 1.4× the median. (33 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 4.6% | 4.2% | 5.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.4% | 5.2% | 5.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.1% | 4.6% | 5.6% | 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)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,632 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 35 deaths (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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is domestic general government health expenditure in Costa Rica?
- Domestic general government health expenditure in Costa Rica was 4.6% in 2023, according to Global Health Expenditure Database, updated December 12th, 2025, World Health Organization (WHO).
- What is the highest domestic general government health expenditure recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 5.8% in 2010.
- What is the lowest domestic general government health expenditure recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.2% in 2001.
- How does Costa Rica rank for domestic general government health expenditure?
- Costa Rica ranks 67th out of 193 countries with data for 2023.
- Is domestic general government health expenditure rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.5%. 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 Domestic general government health expenditure (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Public expenditure on health from domestic sources as a share of the economy as measured by GDP.