Money sent or brought back by migrants as a share of gdp in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Money sent or brought back by migrants as a share of gdp was 0.8293 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Money sent or brought back by migrants as a share of gdp in Costa Rica, 1977–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Costa Rica recorded 0.8293 for money sent or brought back by migrants as a share of gdp in 2025.
The figure is up 10.7% on the previous year and down 15.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, money sent or brought back by migrants as a share of gdp in Costa Rica peaked at 2.3 in 2007 and was at its lowest, 0.0651, in 1977.
That places Costa Rica 132nd out of 194 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Money sent or brought back by migrants as a share of gdp in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | 0.0651 | — |
| 1978 | 0.0823 | +26.4% |
| 1979 | 0.0669 | -18.7% |
| 1980 | 0.0849 | +26.8% |
| 1981 | 0.0915 | +7.8% |
| 1982 | 0.2148 | +134.9% |
| 1983 | 0.1684 | -21.6% |
| 1984 | 0.1748 | +3.8% |
| 1985 | 0.1837 | +5.1% |
| 1986 | 0.1742 | -5.2% |
| 1987 | 0.1743 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 0.1972 | +13.2% |
| 1989 | 0.1904 | -3.4% |
| 1990 | 0.2101 | +10.3% |
| 1991 | 0.1857 | -11.6% |
| 1992 | 0.1655 | -10.9% |
| 1993 | 0.1673 | +1.1% |
| 1994 | 0.163 | -2.6% |
| 1995 | 1.06 | +553.3% |
| 1996 | 1.12 | +5.2% |
| 1997 | 1.03 | -7.9% |
| 1998 | 0.9361 | -9.2% |
| 1999 | 0.8873 | -5.2% |
| 2000 | 0.9057 | +2.1% |
| 2001 | 1.24 | +37.1% |
| 2002 | 1.51 | +21.7% |
| 2003 | 1.86 | +22.9% |
| 2004 | 1.72 | -7.6% |
| 2005 | 2.1 | +22.2% |
| 2006 | 2.26 | +7.7% |
| 2007 | 2.3 | +1.7% |
| 2008 | 1.96 | -14.6% |
| 2009 | 1.67 | -15.0% |
| 2010 | 1.41 | -15.6% |
| 2011 | 1.22 | -13.7% |
| 2012 | 1.19 | -2.1% |
| 2013 | 1.17 | -1.7% |
| 2014 | 1.14 | -2.5% |
| 2015 | 0.978 | -14.3% |
| 2016 | 0.9268 | -5.2% |
| 2017 | 0.926 | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 0.8527 | -7.9% |
| 2019 | 0.8546 | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 0.8356 | -2.2% |
| 2021 | 0.9058 | +8.4% |
| 2022 | 0.8737 | -3.6% |
| 2023 | 0.7566 | -13.4% |
| 2024 | 0.7494 | -0.9% |
| 2025 | 0.8293 | +10.7% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 0.8293 is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.7013, 1.2× the median. (69 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 0.8293 is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 2.87, 29% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Money sent or brought back by migrants as a share of gdp in Costa Rica changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | +553.3% | 0.163 | 1.06 |
| 1982 | +134.9% | 0.0915 | 0.2148 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.0714 | 0.0651 | 0.0823 | 3 |
| 1980s | 0.1654 | 0.0849 | 0.2148 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.5931 | 0.163 | 1.12 | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.75 | 0.9057 | 2.3 | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.07 | 0.8527 | 1.41 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.8251 | 0.7494 | 0.9058 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
- 129 Antigua and Barbuda 0.9425 compare
- 130 Poland 0.9137 compare
- 131 Mauritania 0.869 compare
- 133 Palau 0.8032 compare
- 134 Sweden 0.7814 compare
- 135 Trinidad and Tobago 0.7692 compare
More population data for Costa Rica
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.9965 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -0.2884 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.9965 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.6681 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 5,703 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.5224 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.7399 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate -1 (2100)
- Population density 73.96 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 123,827 (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is money sent or brought back by migrants as a share of gdp in Costa Rica?
- Money sent or brought back by migrants as a share of gdp in Costa Rica was 0.8293 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest money sent or brought back by migrants as a share of gdp recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 2.3 in 2007.
- What is the lowest money sent or brought back by migrants as a share of gdp recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0651 in 1977.
- How does Costa Rica rank for money sent or brought back by migrants as a share of gdp?
- Costa Rica ranks 132nd out of 194 countries with data for 2025.
- Is money sent or brought back by migrants as a share of gdp rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Money sent or brought back by migrants as a share of gdp. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 49 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).