Costa Rica

The global urban consumer landscape is increasingly complex and difficult to navigate. Which cities should you choose for your consumer business expansion? To answer this and other questions, we are introducing the Euromonitor International Cities…

While Latin America’s digital landscape is less well developed than other regions globally, most measures continue to improve, with Coronavirus (COVID-19) also having served to drive the digital landscape development in 2020. With locked-down…

Ageing, urbanisation and migration continue to be major factors shaping the global population. The number of seniors around the world kept expanding in 2021 and is expected to grow further in the years to 2040. The number of small children is…

Following low value sales in 2021, direct selling saw a positive boost in 2022, despite rising price points and inflation. The most positive aspect has been the strong recovery of beauty and personal care sales, the largest part of the category.…

Leading player Wal-Mart continued to invest in expanding Palí and Maxi Pali in 2022, opening new locations nationwide. Between January to September, nine stores in different parts of the country were opened: seven Palí stores and two Maxi Palí. The…

Following its acquisition by Grupo Unicomer, RadioShack reopened its stores in Costa Rica in 2022. The player plans to have 18 outlets within the country by the end of 2024. This moves shows the continued importance, opportunity and growth for…

While e-commerce sales saw significant growth in 2021, in 2022, growth was boosted even further, with strong double-digit value retail growth recorded. Online sales are well developed in Costa Rica in regional terms but remain immature in global…

Retailing in Costa Rica was challenged in 2022, with rising inflation and price hikes impacting consumer buying habits. In addition, high levels of unemployment in the country continued to impact household budgets, shaping purchasing decisions. This…

This report assesses the business environment in Costa Rica, focusing on the regulatory environment, stability of the financial system, FDI intake, labour market flexibility and skillset, trade openness, mobility infrastructure, ICT adoption and…

High inflation impinged on Costa Rican household budgets in 2022, prompting more consumers to trade down to cheaper cigarette brands. Often, the more economical options are illegal cigarettes that come from India and South Korea via the Colón Free…

In 2022, the return of foreign tourists supported a recovery in cigars and cigarillos, although retail volume and current value sales remained well below pre-pandemic levels. North American tourists are a key consumer base for cigars and cigarillos…

In January 2022, a 20% tax increase came into effect on electronic cigarettes and vaping products (liquid and accessories). The new law imposes a 20% tax on vapers, as well as e-liquids and electronic devices used for vaping. In addition, consumers…

Although socialising and post-pandemic celebrations improved in 2022, severe pressures on discretionary incomes and negative press surrounding the hazards of smoking limited overall tobacco consumption. Price has become a buzzword in 2022 with Costa…

Costa Rica registered healthy volume growth in alcoholic drinks in 2022. Part of the reason for the positive performance was increased socialising, as society fully opened up post pandemic lockdowns. The FIFA World Cup in December also contributed to…

Beer registered healthy volume growth in 2022. Part of the reason for the positive performance was increased socialising, as society fully opened up post pandemic lockdowns. The FIFA World Cup in December also contributed to the high levels of…

RTDs in Costa Rica are growing in popularity, especially among younger generations as they are often sweet, also often have low-calorie content and a low ABV, especially RTDs such as hard seltzers. Parents also like RTDs as introductory drinks for…

Spirits registered very healthy double-digit volume growth in 2022. Part of the reason for the positive performance was increased socialising, as society fully opened up post pandemic lockdowns. The return of foreign tourists also contributed to the…

Wine registered very healthy volume growth in 2022. Part of the reason for the positive performance was increased socialising, as society fully opened up post pandemic lockdowns. The return of foreign tourists also contributed to the growth, as well…

Chocolate confectionery has enjoyed robust growth during the review period, even during the COVID-19 pandemic. The upward trend continued in 2023, as the desire to indulge with chocolate confectionery remains high. Lingering concerns regarding the…

Consumers continue to conscious about discretionary income in 2023, with the higher price of gum an issue for the less affluent. Gum is not an essential item among Costa Ricans, and so it is easy to reduce consumption, and instead, is more popular as…

As pre-pandemic life resumes in Costa Rica, consumers are enjoying being outside and socializing once again, especially in Costa Rica´s warm climate. Retail volume sales in ice cream parlours continues to recover in 2023, although this trend is…

With inflation remaining high in 2023, brand loyalty remains weak among most lower income consumers, who normally purchase the cheapest option available when it comes to salty snacks. Price-competition is therefore stronger in the mass segment, as…

Increased socialising and the return to post-pandemic habits is supporting the snacks category in 2023. Although inflation continues to cut into discretionary incomes and consumers remain price sensitive, most consumers have become accustomed to…

Children who were not able to celebrate their birthday with friends in 2020 and 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, returned to full party celebrations in 2022 and 2023. Sugar confectionery is frequently purchased for children´s birthday parties…

High inflation continues to drive lower income consumers towards price promotions in 2023, with trading down to cheaper options and private labels also a common trend. Brand loyalty is generally quite weak in sweet biscuits, snack bars and fruit…

The San Jose in Costa Rica report provides comprehensive city level information benchmarked against other cities in the country and region. The report includes historic data and forecasts on city population, consumer expenditure, digital penetration,…

Insight into income, wealth and expenditure of consumers and households is vital in helping businesses make strategic decisions with regards to which country (or even which region within a country) to enter, which consumer segment to target, which…

Rising inflation has caused consumers to be increasingly stressed in 2023, with rising price points and ongoing economic uncertainty negatively impacting lives. This ongoing uncertainty has led to an increase in physical discomforts; often in the…

In 2023, increased socialising and the return to post-pandemic habits support the growth of several OTC categories. However, high inflation and a fluctuating exchange rate continue to create uncertainty. Inflation in Costa Rica was 8.27% in 2022, the…

At the end of 2022, there was an increase in the need to treat cold and flu symptoms. This was driven by the return of socialising following periods of social distancing, increased hand washing and the wearing of face masks throughout most of 2020…

As consumers face stress due to economic uncertainty and skin imbalances after COVID-19, many suffer from hair loss, helping category growth. While some consumers opt for dietary supplements to avoid hair loss, others turn to shampoos or other…

Omega-3 supplements have gained immense popularity in Costa Rica due to the growing awareness among people about their health benefits. Omega-3 fatty acids are considered essential nutrients that cannot be produced by the body, and are therefore…

In 2023, consumers are enjoying their newfound freedom following the loosening of COVID-19 restrictions. As such, this has led to an increased use of foodservice, with consumers eating out at restaurants, having parties, and drinking with friends.…

"Macrobioticas" or health food stores, can be found nationwide, and in some parts of the country, their presence is even more visible than that of pharmacies. Traditional healers, known as curanderos or yerberos, are often consulted for advice and…

There is a growing demand for natural and organic products in all categories regarding paediatric health. This is increasingly obvious in baby food, supplements, and skin care products. Parents are becoming more conscious of the ingredients in the…

Sports nutrition witnessed an upturn in current value sales in 2022 as consumers left COVID-19 fears behind and returned to gyms and their usual sporting activities. Moving into 2023, Many Costa Ricans focus on losing weight gained during the…

Consumers having less disposable income has impacted their purchasing habits in 2023, including their choices regarding healthcare products and vitamins. Rather than investing in preventative measures like vitamins, consumers are opting for more…

During 2022 and 2023, Ozempic injections have started to be used by consumers who do not have type 2 diabetes to lose weight. Popularised by international media, higher-income consumers who can afford them have resorted to using these injections to…

The growth of sports and indoor and outdoor activities, as well as children returning to school, has led to increased injuries compared to the previous years of COVID-19 restrictions. This, in turn, has driven the demand for first aid products in…

Current value sales are expected to increase, along with a slight increase in volume sales. While there is still economic uncertainty, as a result of rising inflation, the growth in inflation is expected to ease. That being said, consumers are…

Current value sales are expected to increase, along with an overall healthy increase in volume sales. While there is still economic uncertainty, as a result of rising inflation, the growth in inflation is expected to ease. That being said, consumers…

Current value sales are expected to increase, along with a slight increase in volume sales. While there is still economic uncertainty, as a result of rising inflation, the growth in inflation is expected to ease. That being said, consumers are…

It is expected to be an improving picture in 2023 in dairy in Costa Rica. Current value sales are expected to increase, along with a slight increase in volume sales. While there is still economic uncertainty, as a result of rising inflation, the…

While current value sales are expected to increase, volume sales are expected to register a marginal fall, as rising prices, as well as lower local production, has an impact. Increased costs for feed, fertilisers and fuel has forced some dairy…

While current value sales are expected to increase, volume sales are expected to register a decline, as continuing rising prices dampens volume sales somewhat. In particular, the largest product in terms of volume sales, that is condensed milk, drags…

The awareness and benefits of a plant-based diet continues to grow among higher income consumers and more and more shelf space is being allocated to plant-based dairy. Plant-based milk is the most popular and is entering the mainstream. However, as…

Current value sales are expected to increase, along with a healthy increase in volume sales. While there is still economic uncertainty, as a result of rising inflation, the growth in inflation is expected to ease. That being said, consumers are…

Political stability and better government finances are adding to economic freedom in Costa Rica, but corruption is on the rise. Foreign investors continue to flock to the country, but the economy is moderating and prices are falling. Discretionary…

The commodities country overview provides comprehensive data on production, consumption and price trends on key commodities markets. The commodities overview in Costa Rica covers production and consumption trends in agricultural commodities, energy…

While there is still economic uncertainty, inflationary pressure eases significantly in 2023, even falling into deflation territory for part of the year. This is seen particularly in edible oils, where prices fall after the highs experienced in 2022,…