特別会員寄稿

Costa Rica’s value proposition
Indiana Trejos Gallo
Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade
President of the National Trade Facilitation Council of Costa Rica

Ms. Trejos Gallo holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations and Economics from Tufts University and a Master’s in Political
Economy from the University of Essex, where she received a scholarship from the UK government. Prior to becoming Deputy
Minister of Foreign Trade, she held various roles in public service at the Ministry of Foreign Trade, including Coordinator for North
America and Inclusive Trade, Coordinator for World Trade Organization Affairs, and Market Access Negotiator, among others. She
represented the country in the OECD Trade Committee and played a significant role in the country’s accession to the organization.
Additionally, she participated in eight trade negotiation processes with partners such as the US, EU, China, and Singapore.

Costa Rica is a small country in the heart of theAmericas with a well-established and stable democratic
tradition. The country boasts an open andenvironmentally friendly economy, a highly skilled
and productive workforce known for its strong workethic, impressive skills, and compelling ambitions. In
addition, Costa Rica has a strong commitment to therule of law, a core principle that strengthens ourposition as a strategic partner.
These qualities make us an ideal ally for countries
such as Japan and reinforce our commitment to buildon the solid foundation of our bilateral relationshipand our shared values as OECD nations.
Furthermore,
Costa
Rica’sproactive pursuit of membershipin the Comprehensive andProgressive Agreement for TransPacific Partnership (CPTPP)
underscores our desire not only toexpand economic and traderelations with Japan, but also toplay a significant role in the AsiaPacific economic landscape.
With an open and competitive market,
we offer global trading opportunities,
integrated into diverse and resilient
supply chains through an extensive
network of free trade agreements,
covering almost 90% of goods trade.

Our progressive approach to attracting foreign direct
investment has transformed our economy from a regionalcommodity export focus to a global manufacturing andservices hub. This transformation enables us to export over
4,400 products to more than 150 countries, capitalizing on
our open trade policy that provides preferential access totwo-thirds of the world’s GDP.
Our country has a solid track record as a suitable andcompetitive destination for FDI, with a long-standing
presence of world-renowned companies. Currently,
our country is home to around 500 diverse multinational
companies, some of which are prestigious Japanesecompanies such as Terumo, MicroVention, Firestone,Fujitsu, and Bridgestone.

Costa Rican Economic Indicators 2023
Gross domestic productEconomyLabor force

Trade andInvestment

Real GDP growth rate

86.497,95,1

million US dollars (estimated)
percentage (estimated)

GDP per capita16.437,5

US dollars per inhabitant (estimated)

GDP per capita PPP

26.809,3

US dollars per inhabitant (estimated)

Population

5,3

million inhabitants (estimated)

Unemployment rate (Dec 2023)

7,3

percentage (estimated)

Competitiveness Index

62

among 141 countries (2018/2019)

Human development Index

58

among 191 countries (2021-2022)

Total exports

18 244

million US dollars (2023)

Growth rate

12,6

estimated average annual percent(2019-2023)

Total imports

22.516

million US dollars (2023)

Growth rate

8,9

Foreign Direct Investment$3.921estimated average annual percent(2019-2023)
received in 2023

Source: Costa Rican Central Bank, INEC, IMF, PROCOMER
2024.553

In the global context, Costa Rica has emerged as aglobal leader in attracting FDI, as evidenced by its
outstanding performance in 2023. According to fDiIntelligence’s Greenfield FDI Performance Index,
Costa Rica secured the top spot by a significant margin,
attracting 12.7 projects relative to its GDP. This
performance underlines the effectiveness of thepolicies implemented over the last three decades,
which have transformed the Costa Rican economy intoa high-tech export powerhouse.
Our key steps include market liberalization, robust
trade and investment facilitation measures, substantial
public investment in education and healthcare,adherence to strict regulatory standards, and theestablishment of strong institutional governanceframeworks. In addition, Costa Rica’s unwaveringcommitment to long-term investment goals has beeneffective in attracting strategic industries, fostering
technological advancement, and improving thecountry’s integration into global supply chains.
Therefore, we recently launched a new investmentattraction strategy through our export and investment
promotion agency, PROCOMER. This strategy aims to
attract investment from more countries and in more
sectors, such as semiconductors, life sciences, advanced
manufacturing, biotechnology, and agri-tech. We want
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2024.5

Costa Rica to continue to consolidate itself as a strategic
destination for sustainable, high-quality FDI.
In the context as described, we remain committed tobeing a strategic partner for Japanese investors. Lastyear, our exports reached a total of USD 266 million,
with an average annual growth of 29.5%. In terms ofFDI, an investment outflow of USD 2 million wasrecorded in the services sector.
These statistics reinforce our commitment to actively
participate in the business plans of Japanese companies,
as we believe that encouraging more investment willallow us to move forward in close partnership in pursuitof more sustainable and inclusive economic development.
お問い合わせJOI 事業企画部
E-mail: bd@joi.or.jp

Ministry of Foreign Trade
E-mail: Asia-Oceania@comex.go.cr

https://www.comex.go.cr/inversion-extranjera-directa

駐日コスタリカ共和国大使館
E-mail: embcr-jp@rree.go.cr

https://www.facebook.com/embajadacostarica.japon/