Benefit incidence of social safety net programs to poorest quintile in Costa Rica

Costa Rica: Benefit incidence of social safety net programs to poorest quintile was 31.8% in 2022. ▲ Rising

Latest (2022)
31.8%
Change on year
up 10.8%
World rank
6th
of 35 countries
All-time high
31.8%
in 2017
All-time low
24.7%
in 2011
Years of data
13
2008–2022

Benefit incidence of social safety net programs to poorest quintile in Costa Rica, 2008–2022

01020302008201520222008: 27.5 % of total safety net benefits2010: 25.1 % of total safety net benefits2011: 24.7 % of total safety net benefits2012: 26.9 % of total safety net benefits2014: 30.3 % of total safety net benefits2015: 29.9 % of total safety net benefits2016: 29.9 % of total safety net benefits2017: 31.8 % of total safety net benefits2018: 29.9 % of total safety net benefits2019: 30.6 % of total safety net benefits2020: 25.5 % of total safety net benefits2021: 28.7 % of total safety net benefits2022: 31.8 % of total safety net benefits

Source: ASPIRE: The Atlas of Social Protection - Indicators of Resilience and Equity, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of total safety net benefits.

Analysis

In 2022, benefit incidence of social safety net programs to poorest quintile in Costa Rica stood at 31.8%.

The figure is up 10.8% on the previous year and up 18.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, benefit incidence of social safety net programs to poorest quintile in Costa Rica peaked at 31.8% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 24.7%, in 2011.

Costa Rica ranks 6th of 35 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.

Benefit incidence of social safety net programs to poorest quintile in Costa Rica, year by year

Annual values for Benefit incidence of social safety net programs to poorest quintile (% of total safety net benefits) in Costa Rica, 2008 to 2022.
Year % of total safety net benefits Change
2008 27.5%
2010 25.1% -8.9%
2011 24.7% -1.5%
2012 26.9% +8.9%
2014 30.3% +12.6%
2015 29.9% -1.5%
2016 29.9% +0.0%
2017 31.8% +6.6%
2018 29.9% -6.0%
2019 30.6% +2.1%
2020 25.5% -16.6%
2021 28.7% +12.4%
2022 31.8% +10.8%

Costa Rica compared with similar countries

  • Costa Rica's 31.8% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 28.4%, 1.1× the median. (15 countries reporting)
  • Costa Rica's 31.8% is above the median for high income countries, which is 28.0%, 1.1× the median. (6 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 27.5% 27.5% 27.5% 1
2010s 28.8% 24.7% 31.8% 9
2020s 28.6% 25.5% 31.8% 3

Countries ranked near Costa Rica

  1. 3 Argentina 44.0% compare
  2. 4 Uruguay 43.4% compare
  3. 5 Türkiye 38.0% compare
  4. 7 Pakistan 31.6% compare
  5. 8 Serbia 31.0% compare
  6. 9 Sri Lanka 30.6% compare

See the full ranking of 35 places →

More work & labour data for Costa Rica

All data for Costa Rica →

Frequently asked questions

What is benefit incidence of social safety net programs to poorest quintile in Costa Rica?
Benefit incidence of social safety net programs to poorest quintile in Costa Rica was 31.8% in 2022, according to ASPIRE: The Atlas of Social Protection - Indicators of Resilience and Equity, World Bank (WB).
What is the highest benefit incidence of social safety net programs to poorest quintile recorded in Costa Rica?
The highest recorded value was 31.8% in 2017.
What is the lowest benefit incidence of social safety net programs to poorest quintile recorded in Costa Rica?
The lowest recorded value was 24.7% in 2011.
How does Costa Rica rank for benefit incidence of social safety net programs to poorest quintile?
Costa Rica ranks 6th out of 35 countries with data for 2022.
Is benefit incidence of social safety net programs to poorest quintile rising or falling in Costa Rica?
Over the last ten years it is up 18.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
The figures come from ASPIRE: The Atlas of Social Protection - Indicators of Resilience and Equity, World Bank (WB), published as part of Benefit incidence of social safety net programs to poorest quintile (% of total safety net benefits). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Benefit incidence of social safety net programs to poorest quintile in Costa Rica. Statizoid, drawing on ASPIRE: The Atlas of Social Protection - Indicators of Resilience and Equity, World Bank (WB). Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/benefit-incidence-of-social-safety-net-programs-to-poorest-quintile-percent-of-total/costa-rica/

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About this data

Indicator
Benefit incidence of social safety net programs to poorest quintile (% of total safety net benefits)
Unit
% of total safety net benefits
Source
ASPIRE: The Atlas of Social Protection - Indicators of Resilience and Equity, World Bank (WB)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
35 places, 348 data points, 2004–2023
Last refreshed

Benefit incidence of social safety net programs to poorest quintile shows the percentage of total social safety net benefits received by the poorest 20% of the population. Social safety net programs include cash transfers and last resort programs, noncontributory social pensions, other cash transfers programs (child, family and orphan allowances, birth and death grants, disability benefits, and other allowances), conditional cash transfers, in-kind food transfers (food stamps and vouchers, food rations, supplementary feeding, and emergency food distribution), school feeding, other social assistance programs (housing allowances, scholarships, fee waivers, health subsidies, and other social assistance) and public works programs (cash for work and food for work). Estimates include both direct and indirect beneficiaries.