IMF Staff Country Reports

Costa Rica: Selected Issues

Publication Date:

April 24, 2002

Electronic Access:

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Summary:

This Selected Issues paper examines recent economic developments and economic growth in Costa Rica. The paper highlights that real GDP growth of Costa Rica slowed to 1.7 percent, from more than 8 percent a year in 1998–99, reflecting in part deterioration in the terms of trade, the end of the construction phase of a large foreign direct investment project by Intel, and the effect of high real interest rates on domestic demand. The paper also provides a brief overview of some methodological difficulties usually encountered in calculating a country’s real effective exchange rate.

Series:

Country Report No. 2002/089

Subject:

Banking Economic sectors Exports Foreign exchange Imports International trade Production Public sector Real effective exchange rates Total factor productivity