The Central Bank of Costa Rica published its Monthly Index of Economic Activity (IMAE) for January 2026, reporting that national output in the trend-cycle series rose 4.8% year on year, with the growth rate 0.3 percentage points higher than a year earlier. Output from firms in the definitive regime (RD) increased 3.3% year on year and accounted for 60.8% of the IMAE change, up from an average contribution of about 55.8% in the fourth quarter of 2025. Professional and administrative services, education, health, transport and storage, financial and insurance services, trade and real estate together explained around 60% of the RD expansion. Activity in the special regimes (RE) grew 9.8% and contributed 39.2% of the overall increase; medical devices manufacturing was highlighted despite a 13.3 percentage point year-on-year deceleration (from 27.0% growth in January 2025), while RE IT services rose 11.3% year on year, accelerating by 5.0 percentage points.
Central Bank of Costa Rica 2026-03-13
Central Bank of Costa Rica reports January 2026 monthly economic activity up 4.8% year on year
The Central Bank of Costa Rica's Monthly Index of Economic Activity for January 2026 shows a 4.8% year-on-year increase in national output, with firms in the definitive regime contributing 60.8% to this growth. Special regimes saw a 9.8% rise, with notable activity in medical devices manufacturing and IT services.