Costa Rica R&D Spending
Research and development expenditure as % of GDP GB.XPD.RSDV.GD.ZS
Costa Rica's r&d spending was 0.23% in 2025, ranked 57th globally. This represents a 31.9% decrease from 2024. Data from World Bank, covering 1996–2025.
Overview
Costa Rica's r&d spending stood at 0.23% in 2025, a decline of +0.11% from 2022. Based on recent trends, this figure is projected to reach 0.23% by 2025. Costa Rica ranked 57th globally.
Costa Rica’s gross domestic expenditure on research and development has slipped to 0.23 percent of GDP in 2025, placing the country 57th globally and marking the lowest point in a 24‑year series that began at 0.30 percent in 1996. The decline follows an all‑time peak of 0.56 percent in 2014, after which spending gradually eroded despite periodic policy pledges to strengthen the innovation system. Relative to its peers, Costa Rica now lags slightly behind Mexico’s 0.25 percent and trails Ukraine’s 0.26 percent, while remaining marginally above Moldova’s 0.22 percent and Georgia’s 0.21 percent. The downward trajectory suggests that without renewed fiscal commitment or targeted incentives for private‑sector R&D, the share of GDP devoted to research is likely to remain stagnant or fall further, constraining the country’s capacity to advance high‑value industries.
Data & projection
| Year | R&D Spending | YoY change | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025* trend | 0.23% | - | - |
| 2025 | 0.23% | −0.11% | #57 |
| 2022 | 0.34% | +0.06% | #54 |
| 2021 | 0.27% | −0.06% | #63 |
| 2020 | 0.33% | −0.04% | #60 |
| 2018 | 0.37% | −0.05% | #58 |
| 2017 | 0.43% | −0.02% | #60 |
| 2016 | 0.44% | +0.01% | #55 |
| 2015 | 0.44% | −0.12% | #60 |
| 2014 | 0.56% | +0.01% | #50 |
| 2013 | 0.54% | −0.00% | #53 |
| 2012 | 0.55% | +0.08% | #50 |
| 2011 | 0.46% | −0.02% | #55 |
| 2010 | 0.48% | −0.04% | #54 |
| 2009 | 0.52% | +0.13% | #49 |
| 2008 | 0.39% | +0.03% | #59 |
Detected Pattern
Analysis
Costa Rica matched the Orthodox Tightening Cycle pattern in 1995. Historically, 57% of countries showing this pattern (177 out of 311) saw r&d spending improve within 24 months. View full analysis →
Frequently Asked Questions
Costa Rica's r&d spending was 0.23% in 2025. Ranked 57th globally. This represents a 31.9% decrease from the previous year.
Costa Rica's r&d spending peaked at 0.56% in 2014.
The lowest r&d spending in Costa Rica was 0.23% in 2025.
Costa Rica ranks 57th globally in r&d spending as of 2025.
The World Bank indicator code is GB.XPD.RSDV.GD.ZS. Data sourced from World Bank.
Costa Rica's r&d spending is projected to reach 0.23% by 2025 based on trend extrapolation.
The r&d spending of Costa Rica in 2025 was 0.23%. This ranks 57th in the world.
Cite this page
@misc{historysaid_costa-rica_rd-spending,
title = {Costa Rica R&D Spending},
url = {https://historysaid.com/costa-rica/rd-spending/},
publisher = {HistorySaid},
year = {2026}
}