Costa Rica Trade Balance
External balance on goods and services NE.RSB.GNFS.CD
Costa Rica's trade balance was $6.0B in 2025, ranked 44th globally. This represents a 10.3% increase from 2024. Data from World Bank, covering 1960–2025.
Overview
Costa Rica's trade balance stood at $6.0B in 2025, a rise of +$563.5M from 2024. Based on recent trends, this figure is projected to reach $6.0B by 2025. Costa Rica ranked 44th globally.
Costa Rica's trade balance has shown significant fluctuations over the past six and a half decades, with the latest value standing at 6,029,545,701.11 in 2025. This places the country at the 44th position globally, as per World Bank data. Notably, the trade balance has seen a substantial improvement since its all-time trough of -2,707,039,576.57 in 2008, a year marked by the global financial crisis. In contrast, Thailand, a peer country to Costa Rica in terms of trade balance, has consistently maintained a higher trade balance, with a value of 7,034,685,395.45 in 2025. The all-time peak of 6,029,545,701.11 in 2025 indicates a positive trend for Costa Rica, driven by its growing exports and decreasing imports. A continued increase in global demand for Costa Rica's exports, particularly in the electronics and pharmaceutical sectors, could further boost its trade balance in the coming years.
Data & projection
| Year | Trade Balance | YoY change | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2027* trend | $8.0B | - | - |
| 2026* trend | $7.0B | - | - |
| 2025* trend | $6.0B | - | - |
| 2025 | $6.0B | +$563.5M | #44 |
| 2024 | $5.5B | +$830.4M | #114 |
| 2023 | $4.6B | +$2.8B | #129 |
| 2022 | $1.8B | +$767.9M | #129 |
| 2021 | $1.0B | −$1.3B | #118 |
| 2020 | $2.3B | +$430.1M | #136 |
| 2019 | $1.9B | +$1.5B | #129 |
| 2018 | $331.9M | +$57.5M | #117 |
| 2017 | $274.4M | +$73.3M | #114 |
| 2016 | $201.1M | +$631.3M | #120 |
| 2015 | $-430.2M | +$852.2M | #95 |
| 2014 | $-1.3B | +$186.5M | #70 |
| 2013 | $-1.5B | +$300.3M | #70 |
| 2012 | $-1.8B | −$189.5M | #66 |
| 2011 | $-1.6B | −$881.8M | #61 |
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 trade balance improve within 24 months. View full analysis →
Frequently Asked Questions
Costa Rica's trade balance was $6.0B in 2025. Ranked 44th globally. This represents a 10.3% increase from the previous year.
Costa Rica's trade balance peaked at $6.0B in 2025.
The lowest trade balance in Costa Rica was $-2.7B in 2008.
Costa Rica ranks 44th globally in trade balance as of 2025.
The World Bank indicator code is NE.RSB.GNFS.CD. Data sourced from World Bank.
Costa Rica's trade balance is projected to reach $6.0B by 2025 based on trend extrapolation.
Costa Rica's trade balance was approximately 6.03 billion ($6.0B) in 2025.
The trade balance of Costa Rica in 2025 was $6.0B. This ranks 44th in the world.
Cite this page
@misc{historysaid_costa-rica_trade-balance,
title = {Costa Rica Trade Balance},
url = {https://historysaid.com/costa-rica/trade-balance/},
publisher = {HistorySaid},
year = {2026}
}