Overview: Costa Rica

This article contains an overview on Costa Rica, taking into account the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic in certain areas, coupled with the acceleration of trends that were already in motion before this pandemic started, all amid a ‘new normal’ stage that continuously triggers game-changing and challenging transformations.

Costa Rica, with its long-standing democratic tradition – having abolished its army in 1948; ranking at the top of the list of nations of the American continent in literacy, health and life expectancy; its wide-array of trade and commercial agreements with its major trading partners; and its long-standing and attractive investment programmes (such as the Free Trade Zone Regime) – now has to embrace and facilitate this period of transformation. It must redouble efforts to continue being a leader in the region, as a major hub for technological development, highly specialized shared services and manufacturing operations, while promoting a stable environment that enables the development of technological transformation and innovation.