*Costa Rica’s central bank (BCCR) has released new figures which show that foreign direct investment (FDI) to the country totalled US$1.19bn in the first quarter of 2024, up 42% on the same period in 2023, and a record for a first quarter, according to the country’s official export promotion agency Procomer. The agency highlights that of the total, 61.5% went to free zones, 13.5% to companies outside of free zones, 12.1% to tourism and 6.6% to the financial sector, among other sectors. As regards a breakdown by sector, manufacturing accounted for 49.4% of the total followed by services (16.1%), tourism (12.1%), trade (7.3%), the financial sector (6.6%), and real estate (6%), among others. It highlights that all sectors registered significant increases compared with the same period in 2023, in particular tourism which saw inflows up 133%, services (+62%), and trade (+59%). As regards sources of investment, the US accounted for 73% of the total, followed by Colombia (4%), Mexico (4%), Switzerland (3%), and Brazil (3%). Procomer highlights that total FDI to Costa Rica in 2023 totalled US$3.79bn, less than the US$3.92bn previously reported by the BCCR.
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