Gross debt, General government, Percent of fiscal year GDP in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Gross debt, General government, Percent of fiscal year GDP was 42.38 in 2015. ◆ Volatile
Gross debt, General government, Percent of fiscal year GDP in Costa Rica, 1950–2015
Source: International Monetary Fund.
Analysis
In 2015, gross debt, general government, percent of fiscal year gdp in Costa Rica stood at 42.38.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 7.9% on the previous year and up 16.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gross debt, general government, percent of fiscal year gdp in Costa Rica peaked at 110.25 in 1983 and was at its lowest, 14.62, in 1958.
That places Costa Rica 111th out of 188 countries with data for 2015, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Gross debt, General government, Percent of fiscal year GDP in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 31.52 | — |
| 1951 | 27.6 | -12.4% |
| 1952 | 21.47 | -22.2% |
| 1953 | 17.44 | -18.8% |
| 1954 | 15.85 | -9.1% |
| 1955 | 15.8 | -0.3% |
| 1956 | 15.29 | -3.2% |
| 1957 | 16.24 | +6.2% |
| 1958 | 14.62 | -10.0% |
| 1960 | 16.12 | +10.2% |
| 1961 | 20.31 | +26.0% |
| 1962 | 19.68 | -3.1% |
| 1963 | 21.8 | +10.8% |
| 1965 | 24.07 | +10.4% |
| 1966 | 24.75 | +2.8% |
| 1967 | 26.67 | +7.8% |
| 1968 | 27.69 | +3.8% |
| 1969 | 26.09 | -5.8% |
| 1970 | 19.21 | -26.4% |
| 1971 | 21.23 | +10.5% |
| 1972 | 23.36 | +10.0% |
| 1973 | 21.63 | -7.4% |
| 1974 | 24.7 | +14.2% |
| 1975 | 28.87 | +16.9% |
| 1976 | 30.73 | +6.4% |
| 1977 | 33.34 | +8.5% |
| 1978 | 38.51 | +15.5% |
| 1979 | 50.77 | +31.8% |
| 1980 | 57.87 | +14.0% |
| 1981 | 103.64 | +79.1% |
| 1982 | 101.27 | -2.3% |
| 1983 | 110.25 | +8.9% |
| 1984 | 95.57 | -13.3% |
| 1985 | 98.18 | +2.7% |
| 1986 | 91.47 | -6.8% |
| 1987 | 90.16 | -1.4% |
| 1988 | 86.05 | -4.6% |
| 1989 | 76.98 | -10.5% |
| 1990 | 63.92 | -17.0% |
| 1991 | 52.01 | -18.6% |
| 1992 | 41.64 | -19.9% |
| 1993 | 36.86 | -11.5% |
| 1994 | 37.35 | +1.3% |
| 1995 | 34.57 | -7.5% |
| 1996 | 41.08 | +18.8% |
| 1997 | 41.62 | +1.3% |
| 1998 | 37.64 | -9.6% |
| 2000 | 35.65 | -5.3% |
| 2001 | 37.64 | +5.6% |
| 2002 | 39.76 | +5.6% |
| 2003 | 38.99 | -1.9% |
| 2004 | 40 | +2.6% |
| 2005 | 36.52 | -8.7% |
| 2006 | 32.47 | -11.1% |
| 2007 | 26.86 | -17.3% |
| 2008 | 24.16 | -10.1% |
| 2009 | 26.55 | +9.9% |
| 2010 | 28.41 | +7.0% |
| 2011 | 29.83 | +5.0% |
| 2012 | 34.29 | +14.9% |
| 2013 | 36.04 | +5.1% |
| 2014 | 39.26 | +8.9% |
| 2015 | 42.38 | +7.9% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 42.38 is below the median for high income countries, which is 52.98, 80% of the median. (61 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 42.38 is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 50.57, 84% of the median. (33 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Gross debt, General government, Percent of fiscal year GDP in Costa Rica changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | +79.1% | 57.87 | 103.64 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 19.54 | 14.62 | 31.52 | 9 |
| 1960s | 23.02 | 16.12 | 27.69 | 9 |
| 1970s | 29.23 | 19.21 | 50.77 | 10 |
| 1980s | 91.14 | 57.87 | 110.25 | 10 |
| 1990s | 42.97 | 34.57 | 63.92 | 9 |
| 2000s | 33.86 | 24.16 | 40 | 10 |
| 2010s | 35.04 | 28.41 | 42.38 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
More external debt data for Costa Rica
- Other investment, Debt instruments 16.56 billion US dollar (2025)
- Other investment, Debt instruments (Assets, Positions, US dollar) 1.23 % change on previous year (2025)
- Other investment, Debt instruments, Deposit taking corporations 2.45 billion US dollar (2025)
- Other investment, Debt instruments (Assets, Positions, US dollar) 3,214 US dollar per person (2025)
- Other investment, Debt instruments (Assets, Positions, US dollar) 0.1609 US dollar per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Liabilities, International Liquidity, Liabilities to Nonresidents 2.87 billion (2025)
- Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-), General government, Percent of -2.12 (2030)
- Other investment, Debt instruments, Deposit taking corporations 23 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary net lending (+) / net borrowing (-), General government 1.48 (2030)
- Other investment, Debt instruments, Deposit taking corporations 475.29 US dollar per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gross debt, general government, percent of fiscal year gdp in Costa Rica?
- Gross debt, general government, percent of fiscal year gdp in Costa Rica was 42.38 in 2015, according to International Monetary Fund.
- What is the highest gross debt, general government, percent of fiscal year gdp recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 110.25 in 1983.
- What is the lowest gross debt, general government, percent of fiscal year gdp recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.62 in 1958.
- How does Costa Rica rank for gross debt, general government, percent of fiscal year gdp?
- Costa Rica ranks 111th out of 188 countries with data for 2015.
- Is gross debt, general government, percent of fiscal year gdp rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 16.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from International Monetary Fund, published as part of Gross debt, General government, Percent of fiscal year GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The Historical Public Debt Database contains unbalanced panel data on Gross Domestic Product, Gross Government Debt, and Debt to GDP Ratio for 187 countries. The series spans the years 1800 through 2015 although each country’s data depends on its date of independence and data availability.