I have wondered a few times what the working girls contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Costa Rica might be. Once I joked that it might be about 50% of the economy.
What the heck. In the spirit of the bestselling book Freakonomics, here are some calculations:
The 2006 estimated GDP for Costa Rica was about 20 billion dollars.
I heard an estimate of 12,000 putas in CR although I think it is low, I'll work with it. Lets say the average girl earns an average of cien a day,
for a total of $36,500 a year. In a country where per cap income is only $5,000 a year, that is good money. Anyway, here are some quick calculations:
12,000 putas X $36,500 per year equals $438,000,000 or not quite half a billion dollars.
So it ain't nowhere near my estimate of their contribution to the Costa Rica GDP of being 50%. It is more like less than 1/20th of the economy. No doubt though, they cause a trade surplus with America although the fact that Walmart is there now this may tip the balance.
So take heart in the fact that when you Pay 2 Play, you are helping solve the economic problems of Costa Rica.
-PA1984
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