The U.S. newspaper The Washington Post has included Costa Rica in its prestigious roundup of the “25 good news stories of 2025.” The recognition comes after the country achieved its official transition to the category of high-income economy, a milestone that positions it as a benchmark of stability and growth in the Western Hemisphere.

The international publication highlights that this advancement is not an isolated event, but rather the culmination of a development model that has managed to integrate trade openness with solid investment in human capital. According to the newspaper’s analysis, Costa Rica joins the group of nations that have successfully overcome the structural challenges of development over the past decade.

The rise in the international economic scale is based on the transformation of Costa Rica’s productive matrix. The report underscores three determining factors:

Export of services and technology: The country has consolidated itself as a regional hub for corporate services and high-tech manufacturing.
Medical devices industry: This sector remains the main engine of exports, linking the country to the most sophisticated global value chains.
Qualified human talent: Historic investment in education has allowed the workforce to adapt to the demands of the modern economy.

Although entry into the group of high-income countries is a reason for international recognition, the milestone poses new challenges for public administration, such as reducing inequality gaps and modernizing national infrastructure to sustain the pace of growth.

This recognition places Costa Rica in the global spotlight, projecting an image of security and progress in a global economic context characterized by volatility.