5 Most Innovative Economies in Central and South America

4. Costa Rica

R&D Expenditure as a Percentage of GDP (2021): 0.28%

High Technology Exports (2020): $1.04 billion

Digital Adoption Index (2016): 0.662

Insider Monkey Score: 4.6

Costa Rica ranks 4th on our list. In 2021, the country spent 0.28% of its GDP on research and development. The country reported high-technology exports of $1.04 billion in 2020.