Interest rate spread (lending rate minus deposit rate, %) in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Interest rate spread (lending rate minus deposit rate, %) was 3.4% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Interest rate spread in Costa Rica, 1982–2025
Source: International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in lending rate minus deposit rate, %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for interest rate spread in Costa Rica is 3.4%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 44 years on record.
The figure is down 5.6% on the previous year and down 71.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, interest rate spread in Costa Rica peaked at 15.3% in 1994 and was at its lowest, 3.4%, in 2025.
Costa Rica ranks 95th of 141 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 44 years of available data.
Interest rate spread (lending rate minus deposit rate, %) in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | lending rate minus deposit rate, % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | 6.7% | — |
| 1983 | 3.8% | -44.1% |
| 1984 | 3.5% | -6.7% |
| 1985 | 4.4% | +26.2% |
| 1986 | 5.1% | +16.1% |
| 1987 | 9.8% | +90.6% |
| 1988 | 13.5% | +38.3% |
| 1989 | 13.6% | +0.3% |
| 1990 | 11.4% | -15.9% |
| 1991 | 11.6% | +1.4% |
| 1992 | 12.7% | +9.5% |
| 1993 | 13.1% | +3.7% |
| 1994 | 15.3% | +16.6% |
| 1995 | 12.8% | -16.2% |
| 1996 | 9.0% | -29.9% |
| 1997 | 9.5% | +5.2% |
| 1998 | 9.7% | +2.8% |
| 1999 | 11.4% | +17.6% |
| 2000 | 11.5% | +0.7% |
| 2001 | 12.1% | +4.8% |
| 2002 | 15.0% | +24.0% |
| 2003 | 15.2% | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 13.9% | -8.3% |
| 2005 | 14.5% | +4.3% |
| 2006 | 12.4% | -14.4% |
| 2007 | 6.4% | -48.1% |
| 2008 | 11.7% | +81.1% |
| 2009 | 12.8% | +9.3% |
| 2010 | 11.8% | -7.8% |
| 2011 | 12.1% | +3.1% |
| 2012 | 13.5% | +11.0% |
| 2013 | 11.3% | -16.1% |
| 2014 | 11.6% | +2.4% |
| 2015 | 11.9% | +2.4% |
| 2016 | 10.4% | -12.1% |
| 2017 | 8.6% | -17.8% |
| 2018 | 7.1% | -17.1% |
| 2019 | 4.1% | -42.2% |
| 2020 | 4.1% | -1.4% |
| 2021 | 3.9% | -3.7% |
| 2022 | 4.3% | +9.8% |
| 2023 | 4.0% | -6.2% |
| 2024 | 3.6% | -9.4% |
| 2025 | 3.4% | -5.6% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 3.4% is above the median for high income countries, which is 3.1%, 1.1× the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 3.4% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 6.1%, 56% of the median. (31 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Interest rate spread (lending rate minus deposit rate, %) in Costa Rica changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | +90.6% | 5.1% | 9.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 7.5% | 3.5% | 13.6% | 8 |
| 1990s | 11.6% | 9.0% | 15.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 12.5% | 6.4% | 15.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.2% | 4.1% | 13.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.9% | 3.4% | 4.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
More financial sector data for Costa Rica
- Reserve position in the IMF, US dollar, annual growth rate 5.01 % change on previous year (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0009 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, US dollar, per capita 18.96 units per person (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, SDR, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, SDR, per unit of GDP 0.0007 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, SDR, per capita 13.85 units per person (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, US dollar, annual growth rate 5.01 % change on previous year (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0009 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, US dollar, per capita 18.96 units per person (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, SDR, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is interest rate spread in Costa Rica?
- Interest rate spread in Costa Rica was 3.4% in 2025, according to International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest interest rate spread recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 15.3% in 1994.
- What is the lowest interest rate spread recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.4% in 2025.
- How does Costa Rica rank for interest rate spread?
- Costa Rica ranks 95th out of 141 countries with data for 2025.
- Is interest rate spread rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 71.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Interest rate spread (lending rate minus deposit rate, %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Interest rate spread is the interest rate charged by banks on loans to private sector customers minus the interest rate paid by commercial or similar banks for demand, time, or savings deposits. The terms and conditions attached to these rates differ by country, however, limiting their comparability.