[1] Primary trade source
OECD Bilateral International Merchandise Trade Statistics, harmonised by Yugalinks at country-year, HS2 and bilateral-corridor levels. Coverage shown here is 1995–2024 where observations are available.
Country intelligence · CRI · 2024
Costa Rica trade profile
In 2024, Costa Rica recorded $27.5B in merchandise exports and $23.4B in imports, producing a $4.0B trade surplus. Exports changed +18.6% from the previous year, while imports changed +6.7%.[1]
Exports
$27.5B
+18.6%
Imports
$23.4B
+6.7%
Trade balance
$4.0B
surplus
Active partners
270
45 FTA-linked
Historical evidence
Ten-year trade movement
The bars compare exports and imports on the same scale. The accompanying table preserves the exact values so the trend is usable without interpreting a graphic.
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
ExportsImports
Exact annual values
Leading export sectors
HS2 chapters rank broad product groups by observed export value in 2024.
1$9.7B
HS 90 · HS chapter
142 active HS6 lines · 140 export partners
2$6.7B
HS 85 · Electrical machinery
260 active HS6 lines · 147 export partners
3$3.0B
HS 08 · HS chapter
67 active HS6 lines · 104 export partners
4$1.1B
HS 21 · HS chapter
16 active HS6 lines · 82 export partners
5$532.5M
HS 39 · HS chapter
128 active HS6 lines · 132 export partners
6$491.6M
HS 84 · Machinery
515 active HS6 lines · 133 export partners
7$482.0M
HS 30 · Pharmaceutical products
41 active HS6 lines · 96 export partners
8$472.1M
HS 20 · HS chapter
52 active HS6 lines · 111 export partners
Leading export markets
Destinations rank bilateral export flows from Costa Rica; growth describes each corridor rather than the whole economy.
1$10.0B
United States
Annual change +12.3% · 3-year CAGR 18.6%
2$3.1B
China
Annual change +50.1% · 3-year CAGR 73.1%
3$2.0B
Mexico
Annual change +59.4% · 3-year CAGR 38.0%
4$1.4B
Netherlands
Annual change +25.4% · 3-year CAGR -11.3%
5$949.3M
Guatemala
Annual change +16.2% · 3-year CAGR 9.5%
6$693.0M
Belgium
Annual change +2.1% · 3-year CAGR 4.8%
7$683.3M
Nicaragua
Annual change +3.6% · 3-year CAGR 8.6%
8$550.5M
Panama
Annual change -2.4% · 3-year CAGR -0.8%
Sources, definitions and limitations
Calculation notes
USD values are aggregated from reported merchandise records. YoY compares consecutive annual totals; three-year CAGR is the mart-provided compound annual growth rate. Missing values are not inferred.