Summary
- Exports
- $27.2billion
- Imports
- $23.7billion
- Trade balance
- +$3.5billion
Products
What it exports
Medical and dental instruments (27.2%) and microchips (15.5%) together make up 42.7% of its exports.
What it imports
Refined petroleum (9.6%) and cars (5.6%) together make up 15.1% of its imports.
By Harmonized System chapter (96)
| Chapter | Exports | Imports |
|---|---|---|
| 90 · Precision and medical instruments | $10.2 billion | $1.3 billion |
| 85 · Electrical and electronic equipment | $5.2 billion | $2.4 billion |
| 08 · Fruit and nuts | $3.8 billion | $156 million |
| 21 · Food preparations | $1 billion | $277 million |
| 39 · Plastics | $680 million | $1.8 billion |
| 20 · Preserved fruit and vegetables | $588 million | $213 million |
| 09 · Coffee, tea and spices | $440 million | $46 million |
| 84 · Mechanical machinery | $437 million | $2.1 billion |
| 40 · Rubber | $328 million | $278 million |
| 07 · Vegetables | $269 million | $145 million |
| 15 · Fats and oils | $256 million | $89 million |
| 72 · Iron and steel | $245 million | $806 million |
| 48 · Paper and paperboard | $241 million | $752 million |
| 30 · Pharmaceuticals | $238 million | $1.1 billion |
| 19 · Baked goods and cereal products | $225 million | $200 million |
| 38 · Miscellaneous chemicals | $210 million | $344 million |
| 06 · Live plants and flowers | $180 million | $19 million |
| 73 · Iron and steel products | $172 million | $532 million |
| 04 · Dairy, eggs and honey | $169 million | $108 million |
| 02 · Meat and offal | $167 million | $238 million |
| 71 · Gems and precious metals | $159 million | $142 million |
| 17 · Sugar and sweets | $154 million | $68 million |
| 32 · Dyes, paints and tanning agents | $141 million | $164 million |
| 70 · Glass | $130 million | $97 million |
| 22 · Beverages and spirits | $127 million | $251 million |
| 33 · Perfumes and cosmetics | $102 million | $358 million |
| 52 · Cotton | $101 million | $53 million |
| 16 · Prepared meat and fish | $93 million | $130 million |
| 23 · Animal feed and food waste | $88 million | $238 million |
| 76 · Aluminum | $80 million | $172 million |
| 03 · Fish and seafood | $78 million | $137 million |
| 34 · Soap and cleaning products | $63 million | $239 million |
| 94 · Furniture and lighting | $52 million | $328 million |
| 95 · Toys and sports gear | $47 million | $140 million |
| 75 · Nickel | $41 million | $22 million |
| 44 · Wood | $40 million | $113 million |
| 61 · Knitted clothing | $38 million | $175 million |
| 31 · Fertilizers | $38 million | $256 million |
| 12 · Oilseeds and grains | $36 million | $176 million |
| 87 · Vehicles | $36 million | $2.2 billion |
| 68 · Stone, plaster and cement articles | $34 million | $101 million |
| 74 · Copper | $31 million | $173 million |
| 83 · Miscellaneous metal goods | $29 million | $98 million |
| 28 · Inorganic chemicals | $28 million | $139 million |
| 59 · Coated and technical textiles | $27 million | $23 million |
| 18 · Cocoa and chocolate | $25 million | $79 million |
| 36 · Explosives and matches | $24 million | $5 million |
| 11 · Milling products and malt | $22 million | $58 million |
| 35 · Glues, starches and enzymes | $19 million | $81 million |
| 78 · Lead | $19 million | $1 million |
| 47 · Wood pulp | $18 million | $11 million |
| 29 · Organic chemicals | $17 million | $213 million |
| 88 · Aircraft and spacecraft | $16 million | $9 million |
| 42 · Leather goods and bags | $16 million | $66 million |
| 54 · Synthetic filaments | $15 million | $56 million |
| 25 · Salt, stone and cement | $15 million | $47 million |
| 01 · Live animals | $14 million | $12 million |
| 10 · Cereals | $11 million | $522 million |
| 05 · Other animal products | $10 million | $10 million |
| 49 · Books and printed matter | $9 million | $70 million |
| 63 · Home textiles and used clothing | $9 million | $113 million |
| 24 · Tobacco | $9 million | $21 million |
| 62 · Woven clothing | $7 million | $184 million |
| 41 · Hides and leather | $7 million | $7 million |
| 81 · Other base metals | $7 million | $18 million |
| 69 · Ceramics | $5 million | $121 million |
| 82 · Tools and cutlery | $4 million | $117 million |
| 56 · Felt, nonwovens and rope | $4 million | $46 million |
| 27 · Oil, gas and coal | $4 million | $2.5 billion |
| 89 · Ships and boats | $4 million | $29 million |
| 26 · Ores and slag | $4 million | $2 million |
| 13 · Gums and plant extracts | $3 million | $9 million |
| 55 · Synthetic staple fibers | $3 million | $45 million |
| 14 · Other plant products | $3 million | $2 million |
| 96 · Other manufactured goods | $2 million | $70 million |
| 53 · Other plant fibers | $2 million | $776 thousand |
| 86 · Railway equipment | $2 million | $8 million |
| 58 · Special fabrics and lace | $1 million | $9 million |
| 97 · Art and antiques | $1 million | $1 million |
| 64 · Footwear | $1 million | $173 million |
| 91 · Watches and clocks | $1 million | $16 million |
| 79 · Zinc | $595 thousand | $16 million |
| 80 · Tin | $427 thousand | $1 million |
| 37 · Photographic goods | $341 thousand | $5 million |
| 60 · Knitted fabric | $314 thousand | $25 million |
| 66 · Umbrellas and canes | $306 thousand | $7 million |
| 65 · Hats | $245 thousand | $19 million |
| 43 · Fur and fur goods | $150 thousand | $36 thousand |
| 92 · Musical instruments | $85 thousand | $7 million |
| 67 · Feathers and artificial flowers | $78 thousand | $7 million |
| 57 · Carpets and rugs | $77 thousand | $17 million |
| 93 · Weapons and ammunition | $9 thousand | $9 million |
| 45 · Cork | $8 thousand | $412 thousand |
| 46 · Wicker and basketware | $2 thousand | $1 million |
| 51 · Wool | $1 thousand | $2 million |
| 50 · Silk | $113 | $725 thousand |
Trading partners
The United States is its main destination (38.5% of exports) and source (36.5% of imports).
Who it sells to
| Partner | Value (USD billions) | Share | Mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 10.5 | 38.5% | Air |
| Netherlands | 1.8 | 6.8% | Air |
| China | 1.4 | 5.2% | Air |
| Mexico | 1.3 | 4.8% | Air |
| Guatemala | 1 | 3.7% | Sea |
| Belgium | 0.87 | 3.2% | Air |
| Nicaragua | 0.71 | 2.6% | Land |
| Honduras | 0.55 | 2% | Sea |
| Panama | 0.55 | 2% | Land |
| Germany | 0.52 | 1.9% | Sea |
Overview 1995–2024
In 2024, Costa Rica accounted for 0.12% of world exports, compared with 0.08% in 1995.
Exports and imports
Exports grew 7-fold since 1995
USD billions (current). Bars: trade balance (green surplus, red deficit).
- Exports 27.2
- Imports 23.7
- Balance +3.5
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Year | Exports | Imports | Trade balance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | $4 billion | $3.6 billion | $388 million |
| 1996 | $4.2 billion | $3.8 billion | $435 million |
| 1997 | $5 billion | $4.8 billion | $176 million |
| 1998 | $6.6 billion | $6.9 billion | -$345 million |
| 1999 | $7.5 billion | $5.8 billion | $1.7 billion |
| 2000 | $7.3 billion | $6.4 billion | $859 million |
| 2001 | $6.4 billion | $6.8 billion | -$365 million |
| 2002 | $7.8 billion | $7.6 billion | $197 million |
| 2003 | $10.3 billion | $7.7 billion | $2.6 billion |
| 2004 | $10.9 billion | $8.5 billion | $2.4 billion |
| 2005 | $11.7 billion | $9.7 billion | $2.1 billion |
| 2006 | $12.8 billion | $11.7 billion | $1.1 billion |
| 2007 | $14.7 billion | $13.1 billion | $1.6 billion |
| 2008 | $15.7 billion | $16.3 billion | -$620 million |
| 2009 | $14.9 billion | $9.3 billion | $5.6 billion |
| 2010 | $19.7 billion | $13.9 billion | $5.8 billion |
| 2011 | $21.6 billion | $18.1 billion | $3.6 billion |
| 2012 | $25.5 billion | $18.6 billion | $6.9 billion |
| 2013 | $26.6 billion | $18.6 billion | $8 billion |
| 2014 | $20 billion | $17.2 billion | $2.8 billion |
| 2015 | $12.8 billion | $15.3 billion | -$2.4 billion |
| 2016 | $13.1 billion | $15.1 billion | -$2 billion |
| 2017 | $13.7 billion | $16.2 billion | -$2.5 billion |
| 2018 | $14.3 billion | $16.9 billion | -$2.6 billion |
| 2019 | $14.6 billion | $15.8 billion | -$1.2 billion |
| 2020 | $15.5 billion | $14.6 billion | $905 million |
| 2021 | $19.3 billion | $18.4 billion | $837 million |
| 2022 | $20.2 billion | $21.1 billion | -$917 million |
| 2023 | $24 billion | $22.7 billion | $1.2 billion |
| 2024 | $27.2 billion | $23.7 billion | $3.5 billion |
World rank
Costa Rica fell from 68th to 71st among the world's exporters
Rank among 222 countries by export value (1st at the top).
- 68th in 1995
- 71st in 2024
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 1995 | 68th |
| 1996 | 71st |
| 1997 | 70th |
| 1998 | 61st |
| 1999 | 59th |
| 2000 | 66th |
| 2001 | 71st |
| 2002 | 68th |
| 2003 | 63rd |
| 2004 | 71st |
| 2005 | 72nd |
| 2006 | 74th |
| 2007 | 74th |
| 2008 | 76th |
| 2009 | 74th |
| 2010 | 71st |
| 2011 | 71st |
| 2012 | 72nd |
| 2013 | 72nd |
| 2014 | 74th |
| 2015 | 81st |
| 2016 | 81st |
| 2017 | 81st |
| 2018 | 83rd |
| 2019 | 85th |
| 2020 | 77th |
| 2021 | 79th |
| 2022 | 80th |
| 2023 | 75th |
| 2024 | 71st |
What it sells
Precision and medical instruments became its top export group: from 1% to 38%
% of exports by Harmonized System chapter.
- Other 18%
- Mechanical machinery 2%
- Coffee, tea and spices 2%
- Preserved fruit and vegetables 2%
- Plastics 3%
- Food preparations 4%
- Fruit and nuts 14%
- Electrical and electronic equipment 19%
- Precision and medical instruments 38%
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Chapter | 1995 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Precision and medical instruments | 1.1% | 37.6% |
| Electrical and electronic equipment | 4.1% | 19.1% |
| Fruit and nuts | 31.7% | 14% |
| Food preparations | 0.54% | 3.7% |
| Plastics | 1.6% | 2.5% |
| Preserved fruit and vegetables | 2.4% | 2.2% |
| Coffee, tea and spices | 11.2% | 1.6% |
| Mechanical machinery | 0.85% | 1.6% |
| Other | 46.4% | 17.8% |
Who it trades with
China went from 0.9% to 11% of Costa Rica's trade
% of total trade (exports + imports) with each partner.
- United States 38%
- China 11%
- Mexico 5%
- Netherlands 4%
- Guatemala 3%
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Partner | 1995 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 44.3% | 37.6% |
| China | 0.85% | 10.7% |
| Mexico | 2.8% | 5.5% |
| Netherlands | 2.1% | 4.3% |
| Guatemala | 2.7% | 3.2% |
Production hubs
Largest industrial emission sources (Climate TRACE, 2025)
No hubs above the globe threshold.
View on the globeSources and methodology
Sources and licenses
- CEPII BACI · Licence Ouverte Etalab 2.0
- Climate TRACE · CC BY 4.0 (emissions by asset; the 3 largest per country are shown)
- Kummu et al., gridded GDP · CC BY 4.0 (hubs aggregated by this site)
- Natural Earth · Public domain
Methodology
Goods trade from CEPII BACI (BACI_HS92_V202601), in current US dollars, with exports and imports reconciled between countries. The transport mode is our own estimate based on value per kilo and geography. Ranks are computed among the countries with data each year. Services are not included. Data up to 2024.