The 2010 CIA World Factbook. United States. Central Intelligence Agency

capita in Latin America. However, many business impediments, such as high levels of bureaucracy, difficulty of enforcing contracts, and weak investor protection, remain. Poverty has remained around 15–20% 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. Unlike the rest of Central America, Costa Rica is not highly dependent on remittances as they only represent about 2% of GDP. Immigration from Nicaragua has increasingly become a concern for the government. The estimated 300,000–500,000 Nicaraguans in Costa Rica legally and illegally are an important source of - mostly unskilled - labor, but also place heavy demands on the social welfare system. The US-Central American-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) entered into force on 1 January 2009, after significant delays within the Costa Rican legislature. CAFTA-DR will likely lead to increased foreign direct investment in key sectors of the economy, including the insurance and telecommunications sectors recently opened to private investors. President CHINCHILLA is likely to push for fiscal reform in the coming year, seeking to boost revenue, possibly through revised tax legislation, to fund an increase in security services and education.

      GDP (purchasing power parity):

      $51.3 billion (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 90 $49.57 billion (2009 est.)

      $49.91 billion (2008 est.)

      note: data are in 2010 US dollars

      GDP (official exchange rate):

      $35.02 billion (2010 est.)

      GDP - real growth rate:

      3.5% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 96 −0.7% (2009 est.)

      2.6% (2008 est.)

      GDP - per capita (PPP):

      $11,400 (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 98 $11,100 (2009 est.)

      $11,400 (2008 est.)

      note: data are in 2010 US dollars

      GDP - composition by sector:

      agriculture: 6.3%

      industry: 22.9%

      services: 70.8% (2010 est.)

      Labor force:

      2.17 million country comparison to the world: 117 note: this official estimate excludes Nicaraguans living in Costa Rica (2010 est.)

      Labor force - by occupation:

      agriculture: 14%

      industry: 22%

      services: 64% (2006 est.)

      Unemployment rate:

      6.6% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 64 7.8% (2009 est.)

      Population below poverty line:

      16% (2006 est.)

      Household income or consumption by percentage share:

      lowest 10%: 1.5%

      highest 10%: 35.5% (2005)

      Distribution of family income - Gini index:

      48 (2008) country comparison to the world: 30 45.9 (1997)

      Investment (gross fixed):

      20.8% of GDP (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 81

      Public debt:

      44.1% of GDP (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 62 42% of GDP (2009 est.)

      Inflation rate (consumer prices):

      5.8% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 157 7.8% (2009 est.)

      Central bank discount rate:

      23% (31 December 2009) country comparison to the world: 5 25% (31 December 2008)

      Commercial bank prime lending rate:

      19.72% (31 December 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 42 15.83% (31 December 2008 est.)

      Stock of narrow money:

      $4.504 billion (31 December 2010 est) country comparison to the world: 94 $3.992 billion (31 December 2009 est)

      Stock of broad money:

      $16.81 billion (31 December 2009) country comparison to the world: 87 $15.84 billion (31 December 2008)

      Stock of domestic credit:

      $15.82 billion (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 84 $14.74 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

      Market value of publicly traded shares:

      $1.452 billion (31 December 2009) country comparison to the world: 96 $1.887 billion (31 December 2008)

      $2.035 billion (31 December 2007)

      Agriculture - products:

      bananas, pineapples, coffee, melons, ornamental plants, sugar, corn, rice, beans, potatoes; beef, poultry, dairy; timber

      Industries:

      microprocessors, food processing, medical equipment, textiles and clothing, construction materials, fertilizer, plastic products

      Industrial production growth rate:

      3% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 108

      Electricity - production:

      8.808 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 96

      Electricity - consumption:

      8.064 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 94

      Electricity - exports:

      77.16 million kWh (2008 est.)

      Electricity - imports:

      203.2 million kWh (2007 est.)

      Oil - production:

      0 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 184

      Oil - consumption:

      44,000 bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 99

      Oil - exports:

      2,117 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 113

      Oil - imports:

      47,860 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 86

      Oil - proved reserves:

      0 bbl (1 January 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 189

      Natural gas - production:

      0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 181

      Natural gas - consumption:

      0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 193

      Natural gas - exports:

      0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 183

      Natural gas - imports:

      0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 185

      Natural gas - proved reserves:

      0 cu m (1 January 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 189

      Current account balance:

      -$1.469 billion (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 149 -$537 million (2009 est.)

      Exports:

      $10.01 billion (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 86 $8.847 billion (2009 est.)

      Exports - commodities:

      bananas, pineapples, coffee, melons, ornamental plants, sugar; beef; seafood; electronic components, medical equipment

      Exports - partners: