PROCOMER Study Finds Costa Rica's Manufacturing Export Offer Expanding Beyond Medical Devices

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

By the end of last year, manufacturing consolidated its role as a key driver of Costa Rica's exports, accounting for 67% of total exports, with sales reaching US$13.26 billion out of the US$19.894 billion recorded during the year. The sector posted 10% growth in value, driven by the performance of the precision and medical equipment sector—which continues to play a decisive role in the export structure—as well as by the advancement of new segments that expanded the country's manufacturing offer beyond medical devices.

As a result, Costa Rica is expanding its manufacturing exports across sectors such as electrical and electronics, chemical and pharmaceutical products, metalworking, plastics, rubber, textiles, leather and footwear, among others.

According to the Manufacturing Sector Export Performance study prepared by the Trade and Investment Promotion Agency of Costa Rica (PROCOMER), the products leading the sector's momentum during the year included needles and catheters, medical prosthetics, electrodiagnostic equipment, cables and electrical materials, antiserums, tires, textiles and apparel.

Laura López, General Manager of PROCOMER, stated that "manufacturing continues to consolidate itself as a strategic pillar of Costa Rica's economy. Its dynamism is driven not only by the leadership of the precision and medical equipment sector, but also by the progress of other industrial segments that broaden the country's export offer. These categories complement the weight of the medical devices industry and reflect an evolution toward more technologically sophisticated processes, strengthening the competitiveness of Costa Rica's manufacturing sector in international markets".

Diversification within the manufacturing sector is also reflected in the country's business structure. A total of 1,703 companies exported 3,368 different products in 2024. The main export destinations were the United States (55%), the Netherlands (9%) and Belgium (4%).

Export destinations: Central America concentrates the largest number of exporters

While North America accounts for the highest value of Costa Rica's exports, data show that Central America is the region to which the largest number of companies export. In total, 1,245 companies shipped goods to this market during the period analyzed, primarily products such as electrical cables, textiles and apparel, paints and varnishes, among others.

In terms of the number of exporting companies by destination, Central America is followed by North America, with 702 companies; South America, with 344; the Caribbean, with 293; and the European Union, with 285.

"The distribution of our exports confirms that Costa Rica maintains a solid base in geographically close markets, while continuing to expand into strategic destinations. This diversification is essential to reduce market dependence and strengthen the resilience of the export sector", López added.

Contribution of both production regimes

The study confirms that manufacturing is expanding under both the free trade zone and the definitive regime, demonstrating Costa Rica's capacity to sustain highly complex industrial processes across different production schemes. Eighty-four percent of manufacturing exports originated from free trade zones, primarily medical devices, needles and catheters, prosthetics and diagnostic equipment, while 14% corresponded to the definitive regime, where leading products included electrical cables, glass containers, paints and varnishes, packaging plastics, and laminated iron and steel products.