Market research on consumer products, commercial industries, demo...
Market research on consumer products, commercial industries, demographics trends and consumer lifestyles in Costa Rica. Includes comprehensive data and analysis, tables and charts, with five-year forecasts.
Mass beauty and personal care products made with activated charcoal continued to gain popularity in Costa Rica in 2023. While penetration remained strongest in oral care, specifically in toothpaste and toothbrushes, rising consumer awareness of the…
Laundry care registered healthy current and constant value growth in 2023, though volume growth was much more muted. Powder detergent continued to be the most popular format, followed by liquid detergent. Liquid detergent, however, registered the…
The juice category was negatively affected by the high inflation affecting the country, with some of the highest unit price increases within soft drinks being applied to juices. In addition to persistent inflationary pressures, issues regarding the…
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…
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…
The number of households is set to increase moderately, while the average household size will shrink in Costa Rica over 2023-2028. Couples with children will remain the dominant household type but the fastest household expenditure growth is forecast…
Inflation has taken its toll on hot drinks in Costa Rica, striking the coffee category especially hard in 2022. Conditions were exacerbated by the swift and unexpected appreciation of the colon vis-à-vis the dollar, which created a set of challenging…
There were significant price rises for home-insecticides in 2023, and in particular for spray/aerosols, as supply chain disruptions still lingered and this resulted in high current and constant value growth. However, despite significant price…
While there was still economic uncertainty, inflationary pressure eased significantly in 2023, even falling into deflation territory for part of the year. With the improved economic situation, home care registered healthy current value and modest…
"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…
Shampoos was the most dynamic of the main hair care categories in Costa Rica in terms of volume and current sales growth in 2023. Together with the fact that these products are considered a basic necessity by most consumers, it continued to benefit…
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…
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…
The premium segment continued to outperform its mass counterpart in volume and current value growth terms in fragrances in Costa Rica in 2023. While this was mainly because sales in the former were increasing from a much lower base, premium brands…
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…
As Costa Rica confronted some of the highest inflation registered in decades, the energy drinks category saw a notable increase in unit prices. Nevertheless, energy drinks has managed to see a solid performance overall. Penetration of energy drinks…
Both constant and current values are expected to fall, as edible oil prices see a gradual fall in 2023, from the highs of the previous year, that were mainly caused by shortages caused by the war in Ukraine. Not surprisingly, volume sales are…
The report examines the economic landscape of Costa Rica and provides information on major monetary indicators, foreign trade and government finance. The economy expanded in real terms in 2023, driven by exports, private consumption, government…
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…
Dishwashing registered healthy volume growth in 2023, as price increases eased. Hand dishwashing continued to account for most value sales and also registered the highest value and volume growth. As such, value sales for automatic dishwashing…
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.…
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…
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.…
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…
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…
Depilatories in Costa Rica showed a markedly improved performance in volume terms in 2023, with overall sales increasing at a double-digit rate following marginal growth in 2022. This was partly explained by the strong recovery in consumer confidence…
Products with more innovative and distinctive functional claims continued to win over new consumers in deodorants in Costa Rica in 2023. One of the most notable examples was Speed Stick Carbon Absorb, which is made with activated charcoal and…
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…
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…
Population growth in Costa Rica from 2021-2040 results from positive natural change and net migration; however, both will be on a downward trajectory. Rising living standards will drive ongoing ageing, with an increasing 65+ population shaping…
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,…
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…
Persistent inflationary pressures in the country have affected the concentrates category, especially powder concentrates that also saw an increase in the cost of raw materials over the review period. Players largely absorbed these higher production…
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…
Longwear products continued to gain popularity across colour cosmetics in Costa Rica in 2023. The resumption of pre-pandemic routines was a key driver of demand, in that appreciation for the convenience of longer-lasting formulas increased as…
In 2023, coffee prices began to normalise in the country, with much slower inflation taking hold from July 2023. Consequently, most consumers began to return to previous consumption patterns, creating a favourable impact on retail volume growth in…
Cigars in Costa Rica recorded another solid performance in retail volume growth terms in 2023. Together with a rapid reduction in domestic inflation, which bolstered purchasing power among the population, the category’s strong showing reflected a…
Despite a significant reduction in domestic inflation, average unit prices for cigarettes in Costa Rica continued to rise in 2023. Indeed, official sources indicate the consumer price index (CPI) for these products increased at a faster rate than in…
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…
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…
Carbonates saw a surprisingly strong sales performance over the review period, in both the off- and on-trade channels, with volume growth remaining positive for the second consecutive year. Consumers have continued to purchase carbonates as unit…
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…
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…
Kids' cereals have long been a popular choice among parents, as they offer a convenient and enjoyable breakfast option for their children. In 2023, innovation from established brands is driving consumer interest, such as General Mill’s Trix Bunnies…
Bottled water was fortunate not see the high unit price increases experienced by other soft drinks categories in recent years, leading to steady consumer demand and robust growth in volume terms. Both the off- and on-trade channels enjoyed growth in…
Value sales for bleach continued to slow, and consumers increasingly favoured less toxic home care products. Bleach has been cast in a negative light in terms of environmental and also health impacts. As such, consumers are looking to reduce bleach…
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…
Beauty and personal care in Costa Rica recorded a slowdown in total current value sales growth in 2023, but saw total volume sales rebound at an impressive pace following a marginal decline in 2022. These results reflected a rapid reduction in…
During the early stages of the pandemic, bath and shower manufacturers in Costa Rica scrambled to develop new antibacterial varieties and update packaging designs to highlight the germ-killing capabilities of established products. This trend was…
After the strong price rises seen in 2022, consumers have welcomed the lower prices emerging in bread during 2023. The reduction in value added tax (IVA) in February 2023 and the improvement in global wheat supply has enabled retailers to reduce…