Central Bank of Costa Rica publishes 2022 unpaid domestic and care work account, values output at CRC 14.3 trillion and value added at 21.4% of GDP

The Central Bank of Costa Rica published the 2022 results of its extended account for unpaid domestic and care work, which integrates unpaid household work into the national accounts framework. The exercise estimates gross value added from unpaid domestic and care work at CRC 9.8 trillion, equal to 21.4% of gross domestic product and 17.7% of expanded GDP. Within that extended framework, it ranks as the country’s largest economic activity by value added. Production of unpaid household services reached CRC 14.3 trillion, making it the second-largest activity by output after manufacturing. Food preparation accounted for the largest share of production at 47.2%, followed by cleaning, maintenance of goods and household administration at 25.7%, care services at 11.3%, transport at 8.3%, clothing cleaning and maintenance at 6.4%, and community and volunteer services at 1.1%. By gross value added, cleaning, organization and household administration represented the largest share at 32%, while food preparation absorbed the most inputs, accounting for 83.3% of total intermediate consumption linked to these activities. Incorporating unpaid domestic and care work raises household production from CRC 12.4 trillion to CRC 26.7 trillion, and associated spending represents 36.8% of total household consumption. The bank said the extended account does not change the institution’s official national accounts figures and is presented through statistical tables and visualization tools.