Costa Rica High in Development
The Trade and Development Index (TDI) of the United Nations Conference for Trade and Development (UNCTAD) places Costa Rica 35th among 110 nations assessed in relation to trade and development.

The Index measures the degree of integration of trade policies and commerce in the nations studied.

Spain, placed 19th, and Uruguay, 33rd, also placed among the top nations, while Costa Rica surpasses Panama, placed 37th, Chile, 40th, Argentina, 43rd, and Mexico, 49th. Singapore, placed 19th, is the only developing country among the top 20, followed by South Korea, 25th, and Malaysia, 28th.

While Denmark, the United States, and the United Kingdom top the list, the 10 countries in the bottom are all African nations.

Economy 1980 Nobel winner Lawrence Klein, from the U.S., said during the presentation of the TDI that in the gradual globalization of the economies, the role of commerce is ever more transcendental.