COSTA RICA
COSTA RICA
COSTA RICA
BACKSTORY
It's 2025. A newly released international finance dataset reveals something startling: Costa Rica — a country known for its lush rainforests, world-class beaches, and endless summer — has spent over 50 years paying off a $10 million loan.
The purpose of this loan? A massive highway project intended to build 640 kilometers of roads. Yet only half were ever completed.
Nevertheless, the debt was paid in full — not by the World Bank or contractors, but by the Costa Rican people through their taxes, their economy, and decades of national budgets.
Half the roads. Full repayment.
Costa Rica is a paradise — it deserves better. Its people are hardworking. Its nature is priceless. How did this happen?
This is the story behind the data — and what it reveals about the hidden cost of development loans.
BACKSTORY
It's 2025. A newly released international finance dataset reveals something startling: Costa Rica — a country known for its lush rainforests, world-class beaches, and endless summer — has spent over 50 years paying off a $10 million loan.
The purpose of this loan? A massive highway project intended to build 640 kilometers of roads. Yet only half were ever completed.
Nevertheless, the debt was paid in full — not by the World Bank or contractors, but by the Costa Rican people through their taxes, their economy, and decades of national budgets.
Half the roads. Full repayment.
Costa Rica is a paradise — it deserves better. Its people are hardworking. Its nature is priceless. How did this happen?
This is the story behind the data — and what it reveals about the hidden cost of development loans.
THE DATA
The dataset comes from the International Development Association (IDA), part of the World Bank Group. Published in March 2025, it contains over 1.4 million records of development finance transactions spanning multiple countries and decades.
For this analysis, I focused on these specific data points:
Country: Costa Rica
Project ID: P006900
Project Name: Road Construction & Maintenance
Time Period: 1961–2025
I verified the loan details using two World Bank reports:
📄 Costa Rica Highway Project (1961)
📄 Project Completion Report (1972)
These sources allowed me to track the project's complete financial and infrastructure journey — from planning to repayment.
THE DATA
The dataset comes from the International Development Association (IDA), part of the World Bank Group. Published in March 2025, it contains over 1.4 million records of development finance transactions spanning multiple countries and decades.
For this analysis, I focused on these specific data points:
Country: Costa Rica
Project ID: P006900
Project Name: Road Construction & Maintenance
Time Period: 1961–2025
I verified the loan details using two World Bank reports:
📄 Costa Rica Highway Project (1961)
📄 Project Completion Report (1972)
These sources allowed me to track the project's complete financial and infrastructure journey — from planning to repayment.
KEY QUESTIONS
My analysis focused on five key questions about this development loan:
What was the initial loan amount?
What is the total amount repaid?
Were any funds unused?
How many road kilometers were built vs. promised?
What was the actual cost per kilometer?
These questions reveal the true impact of development aid.
KEY INSIGHTS
Using SQL, I queried the World Bank dataset to answer all five questions related to Costa Rica’s highway loan under Project ID P006900.
What was the initial loan amount?
$10,707,674
This shows that Costa Rica borrowed just over $10.7 million for this highway construction project.
What is the total amount repaid?
$9,148,225
This means Costa Rica repaid over $9.1 million of the original $10.7 million loan — nearly 86% of the total — across five decades.
Even though only half of the planned roads were constructed, the country still had to repay most of the loan.
Were any funds unused?
$0 This means that 100% of the $10.7 million loan was disbursed — every single dollar was used. Even though only half of the planned 640 kilometers of roads were completed, the entire loan amount was spent.
How many road kilometers were built vs. promised?
I could not obtain the road length data through SQL queries. This information was only available in two PDF reports from the World Bank:
Costa Rica Highway Project (1961) — which set the target at 640 km of roads
Project Completion Report (1972) — which documented that only 322 km were built
These historical documents provided crucial missing data, allowing me to determine the percentage of promised infrastructure that was actually built.
What was the actual cost per kilometer?
Dividing the total repayment amount ($9,148,225) by the actual kilometers built (322 km or 200 miles) shows us the true cost.
Result:
$28,409 per kilometer — or $45,738 per mile
This figure represents the true cost of each completed kilometer/mile, based on Costa Rica's 50-year repayment — not the original budget estimate. The loan was meant to build 640 kilometers (397 miles) of roads, but with only half completed, it effectively doubled the cost per kilometer (or per mile). This stark reality becomes clear when comparing the final repayment against what was actually built.
SQL ANALYSIS
This SQL query sums the original loan amount for Costa Rica’s highway project, using a dataset with over 1.4 million rows. The result — $10,707,674 — reflects the total funding committed by the World Bank in 1961.
This query calculates the total Costa Rica repaid for highway project P006900. The result — $9,148,225 — shows the full repayment made over 50 years, despite only half the promised roads being built.
KEY INSIGHTS
Using SQL, I queried the World Bank dataset to answer all five questions related to Costa Rica’s highway loan under Project ID P006900.
What was the initial loan amount?
$10,707,674
This shows that Costa Rica borrowed just over $10.7 million for this highway construction project.
What is the total amount repaid?
$9,148,225
This means Costa Rica repaid over $9.1 million of the original $10.7 million loan — nearly 86% of the total — across five decades.
Even though only half of the planned roads were constructed, the country still had to repay most of the loan.
Were any funds unused?
$0 This means that 100% of the $10.7 million loan was disbursed — every single dollar was used. Even though only half of the planned 640 kilometers of roads were completed, the entire loan amount was spent.
How many road kilometers were built vs. promised?
I could not obtain the road length data through SQL queries. This information was only available in two PDF reports from the World Bank:
Costa Rica Highway Project (1961) — which set the target at 640 km of roads
Project Completion Report (1972) — which documented that only 322 km were built
These historical documents provided crucial missing data, allowing me to determine the percentage of promised infrastructure that was actually built.
What was the actual cost per kilometer?
Dividing the total repayment amount ($9,148,225) by the actual kilometers built (322 km or 200 miles) shows us the true cost.
Result:
$28,409 per kilometer — or $45,738 per mile
This figure represents the true cost of each completed kilometer/mile, based on Costa Rica's 50-year repayment — not the original budget estimate. The loan was meant to build 640 kilometers (397 miles) of roads, but with only half completed, it effectively doubled the cost per kilometer (or per mile). This stark reality becomes clear when comparing the final repayment against what was actually built.
This SQL query checks for any undisbursed funds — loan money that was approved but never used. The result was $0, meaning Costa Rica used 100% of the $10.7 million loan, even though only half the planned roads were completed.
CONCLUSION
In 2025, a dataset of 1.4 million World Bank records revealed a quiet truth:
Costa Rica had fully repaid a $10.7 million loan — issued in 1961 — for a highway project that promised 640 kilometers (397 miles) of new and improved roads.
But only 322 kilometers (199.5 miles) were ever completed.
The loan? Fully used.
The repayment? Over $9.1 million, paid across five decades — by Costa Rica’s citizens.
This isn’t just about unfinished roads.
It’s about the long-term cost of development, the gap between intentions and outcomes, and the people who carry the burden long after the project ribbon is cut.
Half the roads. Full repayment.
Is that fair?
CALL TO ACTION
I’m currently seeking a permanent position or freelance project in data analytics. If you're looking for someone who can turn complex data into clear, actionable insights — I’d love to collaborate and help drive smarter decisions for your organization.
Feel free to reach out:
🔗 LinkedIn
📧 Email: data@lubobali.com
Let’s dig into the data — together.
KEY QUESTIONS
My analysis focused on five key questions about this development loan:
What was the initial loan amount?
What is the total amount repaid?
Were any funds unused?
How many road kilometers were built vs. promised?
What was the actual cost per kilometer?
These questions reveal the true impact of development aid.
CALL TO ACTION
I’m currently seeking a permanent position or freelance project in data analytics. If you're looking for someone who can turn complex data into clear, actionable insights — I’d love to collaborate and help drive smarter decisions for your organization.
Feel free to reach out:
🔗 LinkedIn
📧 Email: data@lubobali.com
Let’s dig into the data — together.
CONCLUSION
In 2025, a dataset of 1.4 million World Bank records revealed a quiet truth:
Costa Rica had fully repaid a $10.7 million loan — issued in 1961 — for a highway project that promised 640 kilometers (397 miles) of new and improved roads.
But only 322 kilometers (199.5 miles) were ever completed.
The loan? Fully used.
The repayment? Over $9.1 million, paid across five decades — by Costa Rica’s citizens.
This isn’t just about unfinished roads.
It’s about the long-term cost of development, the gap between intentions and outcomes, and the people who carry the burden long after the project ribbon is cut.
Half the roads. Full repayment.
Is that fair?
This query calculates the total Costa Rica repaid for highway project P006900. The result — $9,148,225 — shows the full repayment made over 50 years, despite only half the promised roads being built.
Costa Rica: The Highway That Took 50 Years to Pay Of
Costa Rica: The Highway That Took 50 Years to Pay Of
This SQL query checks for any undisbursed funds — loan money that was approved but never used. The result was $0, meaning Costa Rica used 100% of the $10.7 million loan, even though only half the planned roads were completed.
SQL ANALYSIS
This SQL query sums the original loan amount for Costa Rica’s highway project, using a dataset with over 1.4 million rows. The result — $10,707,674 — reflects the total funding committed by the World Bank in 1961.