According to data from the Central Bank, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) that reached Costa Rica in 2018 was $2,134 million, that is, 22% lower than in 2017. The previous year, it was $ 2,742 million.
The main drop was in tourism projects, as the arrival of capital went from $443 million in 2017 to $23 million last year, according to the Central.
The complicated international panorama with a slow economy and the complex situation of the country especially in the second half of the year could explain this fall.
However, in 2018, companies with foreign capital generated 12,961 jobs, of which 850 were in areas far from the capital, according to the Costa Rican Coalition for Development Initiatives (Cinde).
20 new companies arrived and another 24 reinvested in Costa Rica.
The results obtained during 2018 fill us with satisfaction; even more, if one takes into account the complicated national and international situation in which the work was carried out. Cinde managed to reach the historic figure of 48 investment projects,”
said Jorge Sequeira, director of the entity.
The figure of FDI seen in 2018 is similar to that of 2016, when it reached $ 2.2 billion.