Central Bank of Costa Rica reports May economic activity growth slowed to 3.5 percent

The Central Bank of Costa Rica reported that the Monthly Index of Economic Activity grew 3.5 percent year over year in May 2026, marking a slowdown of 0.8 percentage point from the same month a year earlier. It was the second consecutive month in 2026 in which output growth remained below 4.0 percent. Average year-over-year growth in national production reached 4.1 percent in the first five months of the year. The moderation was driven mainly by special regimes, where growth decelerated by 12.8 percentage points from May 2025. The bank linked that slowdown to weaker momentum in medical device manufacturing, professional and administrative services, and lower production of electronic components and boards. Growth in the definitive regime also eased from earlier months, but at 2.9 percent it remained 0.5 percentage point above the level seen a year earlier and accounted for 78.1 percent of the overall change in the index. Output in the definitive regime was supported by residential and public works construction, education and health services, professional and administrative services, and financial and insurance services.