The Central Bank of Costa Rica published its April 2026 Monthly Index of Economic Activity showing that national output, on the trend-cycle series, grew 3.4 percent year over year. That was 0.9 percentage points lower than in April 2025 and marked the first month in 2026 in which growth fell below 4.0 percent. For the first four months of 2026, national production rose 4.1 percent compared with the same period of 2025. Growth in firms under the definitive regime was 3.3 percent, while activity in special regimes increased 3.7 percent. The moderation was driven mainly by special regimes, where growth slowed by 12.3 percentage points from April 2025 because of weaker momentum in medical device manufacturing, electronic components and board production, and professional and administrative services. The definitive regime accounted for 80.4 percent of the overall increase in the index, supported by public works and residential construction, education and health activities, financial services linked to deposits and lending, and professional and administrative services including advertising and architecture.
Central Bank of Costa Rica2026-06-12
Central Bank of Costa Rica reports April economic activity growth slowed to 3.4 percent
The Central Bank of Costa Rica said the Monthly Index of Economic Activity rose 3.4 percent year over year in April 2026, down 0.9 percentage points from a year earlier and the first sub-4.0 percent reading of 2026. The slowdown was mainly due to weaker special-regime activity, while the definitive regime grew 3.3 percent and contributed 80.4 percent of the overall increase. For January through April, output grew 4.1 percent from the same period of 2025.