Costa Rica Military - 2021

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Military and security forces

no regular military forces; Ministry of Public Security: the Public Force (Fuerza Pública (National Police)), Air Surveillance Service (Servicio de Vigilancia Aérea), and National Coast Guard Service (Servicio Nacional de Guardacostas) (2021)

note: Costa Rica's armed forces were constitutionally abolished in 1949

Military expenditures

0.7% of GDP (2017)

0.7% of GDP (2016)

0.7% of GDP (2015)

0.8% of GDP (2014)

0.8% of GDP (2013)

Military and security service personnel strengths

12,500 Public Force personnel; approximately 400-500 air and 400-500 coast guard personnel (2021)

Military equipment inventories and acquisitions

the Public Force is lightly armed with an inventory that includes mostly second-hand US equipment; since 2000, the only reported major equipment deliveries were from the US (light helicopters in 2012 and 2014 and second-hand coast guard cutters in 2018) (2020)

NOTE: The information regarding Costa Rica on this page is re-published from the 2021 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Costa Rica 2021 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Costa Rica 2021 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.