Costa Rica Business Confidence

OECD standardised business confidence indicator (long-term average = 100).

Business Confidence in Costa Rica increased to 100.97 points in Aug 2026 from 100.77 points in Jul 2026.

100.97
▲ +0.20Aug 2026 · previous 100.77Monthly · index points · Source: OECD — Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

Costa Rica Business Confidence — History

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Costa Rica Business Confidence — analysis in simple words

Latest reading

Business Confidence in Costa Rica increased to 100.97 points in Aug 2026 from 100.77 points in Jul 2026.

It has risen in each of the last three months.

Recent trend

A year earlier (Aug 2025) it was 101.53, so the latest figure is 0.56 lower.

Over the past five years the average was 101.16, with a range from 98.22 to 103.12. The latest value is below that five-year average.

Historical context

This data series starts in May 2010 and has 196 monthly observations. The latest reading is higher than 71% of all of them.

The highest value on record is 105.37 (May 2010) and the lowest is 92.85 (Nov 2020). The long-run average is 100.00.

Compared with other countries

Among 45 economies with recent data, Costa Rica ranks 11th from the top. The median across all these economies is 99.98, so Costa Rica is above the typical country.

Within Latin America & Caribbean (5 economies with data) it ranks 1st; the regional median is 99.30.

Statistics

Latest
100.97Aug 2026
Previous
100.77
5-year average
101.16
Long-run average
100.00since May 2010
All-time high
105.37May 2010
All-time low
92.85Nov 2020
Observations
196Monthly

Recent Data

PeriodValueChange
Aug 2026100.97▲ +0.20
Jul 2026100.77▲ +0.16
Jun 2026100.61▲ +0.05
May 2026100.56▼ −0.14
Apr 2026100.70▼ −0.26
Mar 2026100.95▼ −0.29
Feb 2026101.24▼ −0.27
Jan 2026101.52▼ −0.21
Dec 2025101.73▼ −0.10
Nov 2025101.83▲ +0.07
Oct 2025101.76▲ +0.14
Sep 2025101.62▲ +0.09
Aug 2025101.53▼ −0.05
Jul 2025101.58▼ −0.13
Jun 2025101.71▼ −0.15
May 2025101.86▼ −0.10
Apr 2025101.96▼ −0.04
Mar 2025102.00▲ +0.07
Feb 2025101.93▲ +0.22
Jan 2025101.72▲ +0.28
Dec 2024101.43▲ +0.24
Nov 2024101.19▲ +0.11
Oct 2024101.08▼ −0.04
Sep 2024101.13▼ −0.24
Aug 2024101.37▼ −0.50
Jul 2024101.86▼ −0.59
Jun 2024102.45▼ −0.48
May 2024102.93▼ −0.19
Apr 2024103.12▲ +0.03
Mar 2024103.10

Business Confidence — Costa Rica vs Peers

Latest available reading for each economy (periods may differ). Costa Rica highlighted.

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See all countries →

More Costa Rica indicators

GDP Annual Growth Rate2.8%Q2 2026Inflation Rate-0.1%2025Unemployment Rate6.8%Jul 2026Government Debt to GDP60.4%2025Balance of Trade$6.4B2025Current Account to GDP-0.5%2025GDP$102.9B2025GDP Growth Rate0.95%Q2 2026
Costa Rica economy overview →   Business Confidence — all countries →

Understanding Business Confidence — a simple guide

What it measures

The OECD standardised business confidence indicator, based on surveys asking companies about production, orders and stocks.

How it is calculated

Survey answers from businesses are combined and standardised by the OECD so that 100 equals the long-term average.

Simple example

A reading of 101.5 means businesses are somewhat more optimistic than their long-run norm.

▲ When it is high or rising

High confidence often comes before more investment and hiring.

▼ When it is low or falling

Low confidence often comes before cuts in production and investment.

Why it matters for the economy and markets

Confident businesses tend to invest and hire more, so this survey often moves ahead of actual production and employment data.

How to read it

100 is the long-term average. Values above 100 mean companies are more optimistic than usual; below 100, more pessimistic.

What to look at alongside it

Industrial production, PMI-type surveys and the leading indicator.

Key terms

Survey indicator
Based on opinions of managers rather than measured output.

Data source

OECD — Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (series OECD business confidence (BCI)), monthly data from May 2010 to Aug 2026. Values are shown exactly as published by the source and may be revised later.

How to use the chart

Use the 5Y / 10Y / 25Y / Max buttons to change the time range, or drag the slider under the chart. Hover (or tap) on the line to see the exact value for any period. Dashed lines and hatched bars are IMF projections, not actual data. The “Download CSV” button gives you the full data series.

Frequently asked questions

What is the current business confidence of Costa Rica?
Costa Rica business confidence was 100.97 in Aug 2026, compared with 100.77 in the previous period, according to OECD — Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
What is the highest and lowest business confidence of Costa Rica?
Since May 2010, the highest reading was 105.37 (May 2010) and the lowest was 92.85 (Nov 2020).
What does business confidence measure?
The OECD standardised business confidence indicator, based on surveys asking companies about production, orders and stocks.

Data are sourced from official international organisations (IMF, World Bank, BIS) and national authorities, and are shown for educational and informational purposes only. They are not investment advice and no recommendation is made. Figures may be revised by the source; IMF figures for the current and future years are projections. This page was last updated on Saturday, October 17, 2026.