Editor’s Note
**Editor’s Note:** This report highlights a dramatic 300% surge in gold exports over the past four years, totaling over $318 million. The data underscores a significant shift in the country’s trade dynamics.
Raw gold, gold jewelry, and bullion exports surged 300% from 2022 to the present, according to customs data.
By Fabiola Pomareda García | [email protected] | April 24, 2026
Over the past four years, the country has exported raw gold, semi-manufactured or powdered gold, gold waste, gold jewelry articles, and bullion valued at $318,524,407.
The country has exported 30.3 metric tons of raw gold, semi-manufactured or powdered gold, gold waste, gold jewelry articles, and gold pieces for monetary use (bullion), worth $318,524,407 from 2022 to the present, according to data from the National Customs Service of the Ministry of Finance, provided in response to a request from UNIVERSIDAD.
The data shows that the value of these exports increased from $33,660,362.81 in 2022 to $134,617,997.55 in 2025, representing a 300% increase.
This media outlet requested from the Ministry of Finance the names of individuals and legal entities that exported raw gold from Costa Rica from 2022 to the present; however, it was communicated that this information could not be provided “because it is confidential information,” in accordance with Article 8 of the General Customs Law (7557) and Article 117 of the Code of Tax Rules and Procedures.
According to the Ministry of Finance, this detail of statistics, grouped by year, was compiled from more than 1,052 Single Customs Declarations (DUAS) for exports, collected from 2022 to the present.
The data shows that the main destination country for these exports was the United States. In smaller volumes, these products were exported to Nicaragua, Panama, Guatemala, Canada, Spain, Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark, Bulgaria, Kuwait, Pakistan, Australia, and Hong Kong. Exports were also recorded to the islands of the Dominican Republic, Curacao, Antigua & Barbuda, and Mauritius.
In 2022, for example, the main category was gold waste, as 991.72 kg valued at $24,750,039.12 were exported to the U.S. Similarly, in 2023, 1,484.46 kg of gold waste, valued at $24,377,184.22, were exported to the same country.
In 2024, however, the largest category was raw gold, semi-manufactured or powdered gold, as 18,656.96 kg valued at $39,599,252.10 were exported to the U.S. Also in 2025, 1,639.46 kg of raw gold, semi-manufactured or powdered gold, valued at $99,299,128.77, were exported to the U.S.
The year 2024 recorded the highest volume declared to Customs, amounting to 21,397.04 kg (21.39 metric tons).
The increase in these exports coincides with the implementation in the country of a new regulation that relaxed controls for the export of the material, as published by UNIVERSIDAD on April 15.
The organization Parlamento Cívico Ambiental questioned this unprecedented growth in the figures, given that there are very few areas where small-scale artisanal gold mining is permitted, while the possibility grows that illegally sourced gold from Crucitas and Cerro Conchudita in the Northern Zone is being “legalized” and exported.
The Parliament explained that the regulations approved since 2019 have progressively reduced the controls and requirements demanded for gold exploitation and processing. In particular, the Parliament denounced that the Regulation to the Mining Code DE-43443 of February 2, 2022, which repealed the previous regulation, simplified the provisions required for the export of this material.
For example, previously a formal written or digital sworn declaration was required; but now no specific form is mentioned, which reduces documentary traceability. In the past, it was mandatory to indicate the administrative file number, which was eliminated, breaking direct traceability with the mining file. Likewise, previously the validity of the permit or concession from the National Mining Registry had to be accredited, but this was annulled, and consequently, the official verification of the legality of the concession was eliminated.
The previous regulation expressly required a formal testimony of the owner’s Sworn Declaration, which disappeared. Furthermore, a declaration on the origin of the material (concession area) was previously mandatory, and now it is not expressly established, creating a risk that the material may come from unauthorized areas.
