| Introduction - Costa Rica: |
| Location - Costa Rica: |
| People - Costa Rica: |
| Government - Costa Rica: |
| Economy - Costa Rica: |
Economy overview | Costa Ricas basically stable economy depends on tourism, agriculture, and electronics exports. Poverty has remained at roughly 20% for nearly 20 years, and the strong social safety net that had been put into place by the government has eroded due to increased financial constraints on government expenditures. Immigration from Nicaragua has increasingly become a concern for the government. The estimated 300,000-500,000 Nicaraguans estimated to be in Costa Rica legally and illegally are an important source of (mostly unskilled) labor, but also place heavy demands on the social welfare system. Foreign investors remain attracted by the countrys political stability and high education levels, and tourism continues to bring in foreign exchange. The government continues to grapple with its large internal and external deficits and sizable internal debt. Reducing inflation remains a difficult problem because of rising import prices, labor market rigidities, and fiscal deficits. The country also needs to reform its tax system and its pattern of public expenditure. The current administration has made it a priority to pass the necessary reforms to implement the US-Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). CAFTA implementation would result in an improved investment climate. |
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Gdp purchasing power parity | $50.89 billion (2006 est.) |
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Gdp official exchange rate | $21.39 billion (2006 est.) |
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Gdp real growth rate | 7.9% (2006 est.) |
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Gdp per capita ppp | $12,500 (2006 est.) |
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Gdp composition by sector | agriculture: 8.6%
industry: 31%
services: 60.4% (2006 est.) |
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Labor force | 1.866 million
note: this official estimate excludes Nicaraguans living in Costa Rica legally and illegally (2006 est.) |
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Labor force by occupation | agriculture: 20%
industry: 22%
services: 58% (1999 est.) |
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Unemployment rate | 6.6% (2006 est.) |
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Population below poverty line | 18% (2004 est.) |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: 1.1%
highest 10%: 36.8% (2002) |
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Distribution of family income gini index | 46.5 (2000) |
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Inflation rate consumer prices | 12.1% (2006 est.) |
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Investment gross fixed | 19.4% of GDP (2006 est.) |
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Budget | revenues: $3.134 billion
expenditures: $3.475 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2006 est.) |
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Public debt | 53.4% of GDP (2006 est.) |
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Agriculture products | bananas, pineapples, coffee, melons, ornamental plants, sugar, corn, rice, beans, potatoes; beef; timber |
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Industries | microprocessors, food processing, textiles and clothing, construction materials, fertilizer, plastic products |
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Industrial production growth rate | 8.4% (2006 est.) |
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Electricity production | 8.4 billion kWh (2004) |
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Electricity consumption | 7.574 billion kWh (2004) |
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Electricity exports | 440 million kWh (2004) |
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Electricity imports | 202 million kWh (2004) |
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Oil production | 0 bbl/day (2004) |
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Oil consumption | 44,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) |
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Oil exports | NA bbl/day |
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Oil imports | NA bbl/day |
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Oil proved reserves | 0 bbl |
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Natural gas production | 0 cu m (2004 est.) |
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Natural gas consumption | 0 cu m (2004 est.) |
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Current account balance | -$1.176 billion (2006 est.) |
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Exports | $7.931 billion (2006 est.) |
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Exports commodities | bananas, pineapples, coffee, melons, ornamental plants, sugar; textiles, electronic components, medical equipment |
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Exports partners | US 29.1%, Netherlands 13%, China 12.5%, UK 6.6% (2006) |
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Imports | $10.88 billion (2006 est.) |
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Imports commodities | raw materials, consumer goods, capital equipment, petroleum |
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Imports partners | US 40.9%, Venezuela 5.4%, Mexico 5.3%, Ireland 4.9%, Japan 4.9%, Brazil 4.6%, China 4% (2006) |
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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | $2.5 billion (2006 est.) |
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Debt external | $6.42 billion (30 June 2006 est.) |
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Currency code | Costa Rican colon (CRC) |
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Exchange rates | Costa Rican colones per US dollar - 511.3 (2006), 477.79 (2005), 437.91 (2004), 398.66 (2003), 359.82 (2002) |
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| Communications - Costa Rica: |
| Transportation - Costa Rica: |
| Military - Costa Rica: |
This page was last updated on 16 September, 2007
