Economy - overview:
Costa Rica's basically stable economy depends on tourism, agriculture, and electronics exports. Poverty has been substantially reduced over the past 15 years, and a strong social safety net has been put into place. Foreign investors remain attracted by the country's 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. The reduction of 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.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$48.77 billion (2006 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$20.77 billion (2006 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
4.7% (2006 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$12,000 (2006 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 8.6%
industry: 31%
services: 60.4% (2006 est.)

Labor force:
1.866 million (2006 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 20%
industry: 22%
services: 58% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate:
6.6% (2006 est.)

Population below poverty line:
18% (2004 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 1.1%
highest 10%: 36.8% (2002)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
46.5 (2000)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
12.1% (2006 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
19.4% of GDP (2006 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $3.134 billion
expenditures: $3.475 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2006 est.)

Public debt:
53.4% of GDP (2006 est.)

Agriculture - products:
coffee, pineapples, bananas, sugar, corn, rice, beans, potatoes; beef; timber

Industries:
microprocessors, food processing, textiles and clothing, construction materials, fertilizer, plastic products

Industrial production growth rate:
8.4% (2006 est.)

Electricity - production:
8.4 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - consumption:
7.574 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports:
440 million kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports:
202 million kWh (2004)

Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2004)

Oil - consumption:
44,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day (2001)

Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2004 est.)

Current account balance:
$-1.176 billion (2006 est.)

Exports:
$7.931 billion (2006 est.)

Exports - commodities:
coffee, bananas, sugar, pineapples; textiles, electronic components, medical equipment

Exports - partners:
US 42.6%, Hong Kong 6.9%, Netherlands 6.4%, Guatemala 4.2% (2005)

Imports:
$10.88 billion (2006 est.)

Imports - commodities:
raw materials, consumer goods, capital equipment, petroleum

Imports - partners:
US 41.3%, Japan 5.6%, Venezuela 4.8%, Mexico 4.8%, Ireland 4.3%, Brazil 4.2%, China 4.2% (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$2.5 billion (2006 est.)

Debt - external:
$6.42 billion (30 June 2006 est.)

Currency (code):
Costa Rican colon (CRC)

Exchange rates:
Costa Rican colones per US dollar - 513.302 (2006), 477.79 (2005), 437.91 (2004), 398.66 (2003), 359.82 (2002)