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Economy of Costa Rica

Population: 4.9 million in 2013¹

GDP: $50 billion in 2013²

GDP per capita: $10,185 nominal³ ($13,872 PPP⁴) in 2013

GDP growth rate: 3.5% in 2013⁵

Industries

GDP by Industry 2012⁶

Industry sector	Value added ($ millions) 2012	Percent of total
Other activities	17,182	43.8%
Wholesale, retail trade, restaurants and hotels	6,441	16.4%
Manufacturing	6,427	16.4%
Transport, storage and communication	3,712	9.5%
Agriculture, hunting, forestry, fishing	2,428	6.2%
Construction	2,035	5.2%
Mining and utilities	972	2.5%
Total value added	39,197	100%

Employment

Unemployment rate: 7.6% in 2013⁷

Employment by Industry 2013⁸

Employment sector	Employees (thousands) 2013	Percent of total
Wholesale trade, retail trade and repair of motor vehicles	364	18.0%
Agriculture, forestry and fishing	256	12.7%
Manufacturing	234	11.6%
Activities of households as employers	131	6.5%
Education	130	6.4%
Construction	115	5.7%
Public administration and defence	110	5.4%
Transportation and storage	105	5.2%
Administrative and support service	98	4.8%
Accommodation and food service	97	4.8%
Other service	74	3.6%
Professional, scientific and technical	74	3.7%
Human health and social work	71	3.5%
Finance and insurance	48	2.4%
Information and communication	35	1.7%
Arts, entertainment and recreation	27	1.3%
Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning	25	1.2%
Real estate	15	0.7%
Water supply, sewerage and waste management	9	0.5%
Not elsewhere classified	3	0.1%
Extraterritorial organizations and bodies	1	0.0%
Mining and quarrying	1	0.1%
Total employment	2,022	100%

Corporations

Top 10 Corporations by Revenue 2013⁹

N/A

Households

Household Wealth: $91 billion (182% of GDP) in 2014¹⁰

Household Wealth per Adult: $27,606 in 2014¹⁰

Gini Coefficient: .486 in 2012¹¹

Government

Central Government

Central Government Revenue: $7.2 billion (14% of GDP) in 2013¹²

Central Government Expenditure: $9.6 billion (19% of GDP) in 2013¹²

Central Government Budget Balance: -$2.4 billion (-5% of GDP) in 2013¹²

Central Government Public Debt: $19 billion (38% of GDP) in Dec 2014* ¹³

Central Government 10 Year Bond Interest Rate: 4.25% in Nov 2012¹⁴

* Public debt calucluated using the exchange rate 537.7 CRC = 1 USD

Government Funds

N/A

Tax Structure

Individual Income Tax Rates and Thresholds in 2011¹⁵

0%: $0-$1,287
10%: $1,287-$1,932
15%: $1,932+

Corporate Tax Rate: ¹⁶

* Individual thresholds calucluated using the exchange rate 537.7 CRC = 1 USD

Monetary Policy

Money Supply (M1): $4.4 billion (9% of GDP) in Dec 2014* ¹⁷

Benchmark Interest Rate: Tasa Basica = 7.2% in Feb 2015¹⁸

Total Reserves: $7 billion (% of GDP) in 2013¹⁹

Exchange Rate: 537.7 Costa Rican Colon = 1 U.S. Dollar on Feb 4, 2015²⁰

Inflation: 5.2% in 2013²¹

* Money supply calucluated using the exchange rate 537.7 CRC = 1 USD

Financial Institutions

Top 10 Financial Institutions by Assets 2013²²

N/A (data not available at Relbanks.com)

International Accounts

Exports: $12 billion (24% of GDP) in 2013²³

Imports: $18 billion (36% of GDP) in 2013²³

Trade Balance: -$6 billion (-12% of GDP) in 2013²³

Foreign Direct Investment Inflow: $3.2 billion (6% of GDP) in 2013²⁴

Foreign Direct Investment Outflow: N/A

Foreign Aid Inflow: $32 million (0.06% of GDP) in 2012²⁵

Foreign Aid Outflow: N/A

References