Q COSTARICA — Consumer confidence in the economy rose again after a year without any gains. In November, the Confianza del Consumidor (ICC)—Consumer Confidence Index— reached 55.4 points on a scale of 0 to 100, an increase of 3.1 points, the first recorded since August of the previous year.
Although the indicator remains in a neutral perception zone, the increase marks a break from the stagnation observed for much of the year and demonstrates an improvement in the expectations of various sectors of the population.
The change is also reflected in the types of perceptions. The group of optimistic people grew to 37.5%, while the proportion of those who declare themselves pessimistic fell to 13.5%. The majority, however, continues to occupy an intermediate position, with 49% expressing neither a clearly positive nor a negative view.
The improvement was most pronounced among lower-income households with lower levels of education, as well as among women and people under 35 and over 50, groups where the rebound in confidence was most significant.
Factors such as year-end discounts, the influx of additional income, such as the Christmas bonus, and expectations surrounding the upcoming elections influenced this change in perception.
Personal expectations also improved: 63.1% of respondents believe their income will increase in the next 12 months, while the proportion anticipating a loss in their purchasing power fell to 22.7%, a reduction of 4.6 percentage points.
On the social front, pessimism also decreased, with a drop in the percentage of people expecting an increase in unemployment in the coming year and less concern about a potential rise in poverty, suggesting a perception of greater stability in the short term.
The study was prepared by the School of Statistics of the University of Costa Rica between November 3 and December 9, 2025, based on a survey applied to 703 people over 18 years of age, Costa Ricans and foreigners, who use mobile phones (cell phones) throughout the country.