Costa Rica vs Mexico: General government total expenditure
Costa Rica
9.29 trillion current LCU
in 2025
Mexico
10.30 trillion current LCU
in 2025
Costa Rica rank
34th
Mexico rank
33rd
General government total expenditure over time
- Costa Rica
- Mexico
How they compare
Mexico currently reports 10.30 trillion current LCU against 9.29 trillion current LCU in Costa Rica, a difference of 1.01 trillion current LCU.
That makes Mexico's figure about 1.1 times Costa Rica's.
The two have swapped places 8 times across 46 shared years of data; in 1980 it was Mexico ahead.
Costa Rica ranks 34th and Mexico ranks 33rd of 195 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, Costa Rica averaged higher in 4 and Mexico in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | Mexico | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 44.36 billion current LCU | 0 current LCU | 44.36 billion current LCU | Costa Rica |
| 1990s | 492.97 billion current LCU | 553.90 billion current LCU | 60.93 billion current LCU | Mexico |
| 2000s | 2.40 trillion current LCU | 2.21 trillion current LCU | 192.86 billion current LCU | Costa Rica |
| 2010s | 7.74 trillion current LCU | 5.03 trillion current LCU | 2.71 trillion current LCU | Costa Rica |
| 2020s | 9.74 trillion current LCU | 8.66 trillion current LCU | 1.09 trillion current LCU | Costa Rica |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher general government total expenditure, Costa Rica or Mexico?
- Mexico, at 10.30 trillion current LCU against 9.29 trillion current LCU in Costa Rica as of 2025.
- What is the difference in general government total expenditure between Costa Rica and Mexico?
- 1.01 trillion current LCU, with Mexico ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and Mexico?
- 46 years are reported by both, from 1980 to 2025.
- How do Costa Rica and Mexico rank globally for general government total expenditure?
- Costa Rica ranks 34th and Mexico ranks 33rd of 195 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as General government total expenditure (current LCU). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
February 2026 Data Release