Is Costa Rica a good country to live in, invest in, or travel to? How is it perceived abroad, given the progress it has made towards sustainability, clean energy, and reversing deforestation? What do international rankings and indices say about the country’s economic performance, its soft power, country brand strength, and reputation?
Let’s take a closer look at:
- Costa Rica’s soft power and brand strength
- Its appeal to skilled labour, investors, and visitors
- The country’s global contribution to peace and well-being
- How well it fares in terms of happiness and sustainability
Soft Power and Country Brand Strength
In the Global Soft Power Index 2023 by Brand Finance, Costa Rica secures the 72nd spot, slightly trailing Panama (70th) and Malta (71st). It experienced a drop of five positions from 2022, although its score increased by 5.2%.
In the U.S. News Best Countries 2023 ranking, Costa Rica secures the 42nd position, a drop of two positions from the 2022 ranking; it currently sits behind Morocco (40th) and Indonesia (41st). Notably, it excels in the key area of adventure (10th), which analyzes the level of friendliness, tourism appeal, scenic beauty, pleasant climate, and overall attractiveness. However, the country scored lowest in the entrepreneurship and power factors.
Appeal to Talent, Investors, Trade and Travel
The Expat Insider 2023 ranks Costa Rica in 7th position out of 53 countries. Its most notable factors are: Environment and Climate (3rd), Ease of Settling in (7th), Culture and Welcome (7th), Local Friendliness (7th), and Finding Friends (7th).
The Bloom Consulting biannual Country Brand Ranking Trade Edition 2022-2023 assesses investment-related variables, emphasizing perceptions of a country’s trade-specific brand and evaluating branding performance. Regionally, it jumped one position to the 9th position, behind Chile (7th) and Peru (8th). Globally, it secured the 61st position.
In addition, the Bloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking Tourism Edition 2022-2023 places Costa Rica at the 31st global position. Regionally, it now holds the 4th position, overtaking Brazil for the first time. It has improved in both social media and online performance, and Bloom Consulting praises the country for its sustainable economic approach.
Talent Attraction and Competitiveness
The World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Index 2019 placed Costa Rica at the 62nd position among 141 countries. However, it’s important to note that an updated version of this report hasn’t been released in the past five years, and rankings may have shifted since then.
Costa Rica, classified as an upper-middle-income country within the Latin American and Caribbean regional group, currently holds the 47th position in the Global Talent Competitiveness Index 2023. The country ranks highest in the Attract pillar (28th) and struggles most with the GK Skills pillar (74th).
How “Good” Is Costa Rica?
In the Caf World Giving Index 2023, Costa Rica secured the 68th position, a drastic drop of 25 positions compared to last year’s ranking. It performs best in the subfactor of helping a stranger, where 71% of its adult population helped a stranger this past year.
In the Good Country Index, Costa Rica currently holds the 49th position overall, with notable subfactors as follows: Science & Technology (75th), Culture (63rd), International Peace & Security (88th), World Order (42nd), Planet & Climate (46th), Prosperity & Equality (55th), and Health & Wellbeing (82nd). It’s worth mentioning that in 2022, Costa Rica was ranked 29th, and in 2021, it held the 34th position.
According to the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) Democracy Index 2023, Costa Rica ranked in the blue zone (8-9 range) with a 8.29 out of 10, making it the leader of the Central American region.
The 2022 Corruption Perception Index ranks Costa Rica 48th with a score of 54/100. Its score has dropped by four points since 2021.
The Sustainable Development Report 2023 ranks Costa Rica in the 52nd position. It highlights that the country experiences significant challenges that are still to be overcome. However, the Affordable and Clean Energy goal has reached SDG status and continues to experience moderate increases.
Costa Rica’s Environmental Performance
The 2022 edition of the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) ranks Costa Rica 68th, sitting between Venezuela (67th) and Zimbabwe (69th). The EPI analyzes the performance of 180 countries, scoring and ranking these countries on their environmental performance using the most recent year of data available, as well as providing calculable changes in scores over the previous decade. Costa Rica has experienced a change in score of positive 4.
Peace and Happiness
The Global Peace Index 2023 ranks Costa Rica 39th, jumping two positions from the previous ranking. It sits behind the UK (37th) and North Macedonia (38th). It falls under the high sector of the ‘State of Peace’ spectrum as defined by the Institute for Economics & Peace. Costa Rica positioned first regionally amongst its fellow Central America and the Caribbean countries.
The Institute for Economics & Peace similarly ranks Costa Rica within the no impact (green) zone in terms of ‘Impact of Terrorism’ in the 2022 Global Terrorism Index. It ranks 93rd, tying with many other countries for last place (which in this case is a good thing).
Meanwhile, the World Happiness Report 2023, which displays the Ranking of Happiness based on a three-year-average 2020–2022, ranks Costa Rica 23rd.
Last updated in November 2023. Explore more country profiles here.
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Disclaimer: The information in this article is intended to provide a general overview of Costa Rica’s economic and cultural landscape and facilitate comparison over time. While we strive for accuracy and completeness, we are not responsible for any typographical errors or inaccuracies. The data is provided “as is” without warranty of any kind. Users should verify any information before relying on it for decision-making purposes.
