Employee compensation as share of government spending in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Employee compensation as share of government spending was 26.8% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Employee compensation as share of government spending in Costa Rica, 1973–2023
Source: International Monetary Fund (IMF) Government Finance Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of expense.
Analysis
The most recent figure for employee compensation as share of government spending in Costa Rica is 26.8%, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 50 years on record.
That represents a change of down 4.2% on the previous year and down 43.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employee compensation as share of government spending in Costa Rica peaked at 55.7% in 1973 and was at its lowest, 26.8%, in 2023.
That places Costa Rica 72nd out of 155 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 50 years of available data.
Employee compensation as share of government spending in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | % of expense | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 55.7% | — |
| 1974 | 54.3% | -2.6% |
| 1976 | 55.3% | +1.9% |
| 1977 | 51.1% | -7.7% |
| 1978 | 49.8% | -2.4% |
| 1979 | 50.8% | +2.0% |
| 1980 | 51.5% | +1.3% |
| 1981 | 52.8% | +2.5% |
| 1982 | 47.6% | -9.7% |
| 1983 | 41.4% | -13.1% |
| 1984 | 39.2% | -5.2% |
| 1985 | 39.9% | +1.6% |
| 1986 | 32.8% | -17.6% |
| 1987 | 38.5% | +17.2% |
| 1988 | 44.4% | +15.4% |
| 1989 | 45.4% | +2.3% |
| 1990 | 45.3% | -0.2% |
| 1991 | 43.7% | -3.6% |
| 1992 | 42.4% | -3.1% |
| 1993 | 40.9% | -3.4% |
| 1994 | 35.7% | -12.7% |
| 1995 | 38.3% | +7.1% |
| 1996 | 37.0% | -3.3% |
| 1997 | 37.4% | +0.9% |
| 1998 | 38.4% | +2.9% |
| 1999 | 39.0% | +1.5% |
| 2000 | 39.9% | +2.2% |
| 2001 | 39.2% | -1.7% |
| 2002 | 40.9% | +4.4% |
| 2003 | 42.9% | +4.8% |
| 2004 | 42.6% | -0.6% |
| 2005 | 41.4% | -2.8% |
| 2006 | 42.0% | +1.3% |
| 2007 | 41.6% | -0.8% |
| 2008 | 44.0% | +5.6% |
| 2009 | 45.6% | +3.7% |
| 2010 | 48.0% | +5.2% |
| 2011 | 49.2% | +2.5% |
| 2012 | 47.7% | -3.0% |
| 2013 | 47.5% | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 46.2% | -2.7% |
| 2015 | 43.4% | -6.1% |
| 2016 | 45.2% | +4.0% |
| 2017 | 46.9% | +3.9% |
| 2018 | 41.4% | -11.8% |
| 2019 | 31.6% | -23.6% |
| 2020 | 30.8% | -2.5% |
| 2021 | 29.0% | -6.0% |
| 2022 | 27.9% | -3.5% |
| 2023 | 26.8% | -4.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 52.8% | 49.8% | 55.7% | 6 |
| 1980s | 43.3% | 32.8% | 52.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 39.8% | 35.7% | 45.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 42.0% | 39.2% | 45.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 44.7% | 31.6% | 49.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 28.6% | 26.8% | 30.8% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
More work & labour data for Costa Rica
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.9965 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.9952 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.9977 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.61 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.29 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 5,205 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 569.35 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 1,908 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 1,868 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 3,776 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employee compensation as share of government spending in Costa Rica?
- Employee compensation as share of government spending in Costa Rica was 26.8% in 2023, according to International Monetary Fund (IMF) Government Finance Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest employee compensation as share of government spending recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 55.7% in 1973.
- What is the lowest employee compensation as share of government spending recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 26.8% in 2023.
- How does Costa Rica rank for employee compensation as share of government spending?
- Costa Rica ranks 72nd out of 155 countries with data for 2023.
- Is employee compensation as share of government spending rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 43.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from International Monetary Fund (IMF) Government Finance Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Employee compensation as share of government spending. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 50 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Employee compensation includes wages, in-kind payments, and government contributions to social insurance schemes such as social security and pensions.