Costa Rica vs Panama
Costa Rica vs Panama: GDP growth
GDP growth in 2025: 4.6% a year in Costa Rica and 4.4% a year in Panama, by IMF estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Costa Rica, by 0.2 percentage points, or 1.05 times that in Panama.
% a year · IMF
What the numbers say
- Costa Rica has been higher since 2024, when it overtook Panama.
- In 2025, Costa Rica ranked 45 and Panama ranked 49 of 143 countries, counting from the highest.
- The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Costa Rica at 3.5% a year and Panama at 4.5% a year in 2031.
Every year
% a year · IMF
| Year | Costa Rica | Panama |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4.6 | 4.4 |
| 2024 | 4.1 | 2.7 |
| 2023 | 4.8 | 7.2 |
| 2022 | 5.5 | 11 |
| 2021 | 8.2 | 16.5 |
| 2020 | -4.1 | -17.8 |
| 2019 | 2.7 | 3.1 |
| 2018 | 2.9 | 3.9 |
| 2017 | 4.2 | 5.7 |
| 2016 | 4.2 | 4.6 |
| 2015 | 3.7 | 5.3 |
| 2014 | 3.5 | 4.6 |
| 2013 | 2.5 | 6.3 |
| 2012 | 4.9 | 9.6 |
| 2011 | 4.4 | 11.9 |
| 2010 | 5.4 | 6.1 |
| 2009 | -0.9 | 1.6 |
| 2008 | 4.7 | 10.2 |
| 2007 | 8.2 | 13.2 |
| 2006 | 7.3 | 9.9 |
| 2005 | 4 | 8.3 |
| 2004 | 4.4 | 8.2 |
| 2003 | 4.3 | 5.1 |
| 2002 | 3.4 | 2.5 |
| 2001 | 3.5 | 1 |
| 2000 | 3.8 | 4.2 |
| 1999 | 4.1 | 5.2 |
| 1998 | 7.1 | 8.4 |
| 1997 | 5.5 | 7.7 |
| 1996 | 1.4 | 7.4 |
| 1995 | 4.2 | 1.8 |
| 1994 | 4.5 | 2.8 |
| 1993 | 7.1 | 5.5 |
| 1992 | 9.2 | 8.2 |
| 1991 | 2.3 | 9.4 |
| 1990 | 3.6 | 8.1 |
| 1989 | 5.7 | 1.6 |
| 1988 | 3.4 | -13.4 |
| 1987 | 4.8 | -1.8 |
| 1986 | 5.5 | 3.6 |
| 1985 | 0.7 | 4.9 |
| 1984 | 8 | 2.7 |
| 1983 | 2.9 | -4.5 |
| 1982 | -7.3 | 5.3 |
| 1981 | -2.3 | 9.2 |
| 1980 | 0.8 | 4.5 |
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
| Year | Costa Rica | Panama |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 3.3 | 5 |
| 2027 | 3.5 | 4.2 |
| 2028 | 3.5 | 4.6 |
| 2029 | 3.5 | 4.8 |
| 2030 | 3.5 | 4.6 |
| 2031 | 3.5 | 4.5 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- How much the economy grew or shrank in a year, after inflation.
- Source: IMF, World Economic Outlook, October 2026.
- The dashed line is the IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026), a scenario rather than a forecast.
- Ranks count the 143 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
Costa Rica vs Panama
Health
- Life expectancyCosta Rica: 80.8 years in 2023Panama: 79.6 years in 2023
- Child mortalityCosta Rica: 1 per 100 live births in 2024Panama: 1.5 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityCosta Rica: 6.5 per 1,000 live births in 2023Panama: 12.6 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionCosta Rica: 2.91% in 2017Panama: 2.68% in 2017
- Suicide rateCosta Rica: 7.8 per 100,000 people in 2017Panama: 5 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationCosta Rica: 5.11 million people in 2023Panama: 4.46 million people in 2023
- Population growthCosta Rica: 0.49% a year in 2023Panama: 1.29% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateCosta Rica: 1.33 births per woman in 2023Panama: 2.12 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationCosta Rica: 79.7% in 2025Panama: 66.2% in 2025
- Median ageCosta Rica: 34.1 years in 2023Panama: 29.6 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overCosta Rica: 11.7% in 2023Panama: 9.1% in 2023
- Net migration rateCosta Rica: 0.2 per 1,000 people in 2023Panama: 1.6 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingCosta Rica: 0% of GDP in 2025Panama: 0% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsCosta Rica: $0 in 2025Panama: $0 in 2025
- Military spending per personCosta Rica: $0 in 2025Panama: $0 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingCosta Rica: 0% of government spending in 2025Panama: 0% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelCosta Rica: 10,000 people in 2020Panama: 28,000 people in 2020
- National powerCosta Rica: 0.03% of world capability in 2022Panama: 0.03% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersCosta Rica: 0.41% of the labour force in 2020Panama: 1.33% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsCosta Rica: 8 million TIV in 2019Panama: 2 million TIV in 1989
- Arms exportsCosta Rica: 3 million TIV in 2009Panama: 1 million TIV in 2019