July 2026, Costa Rica has become one of the world’s leading exporters of Medical Devices, a position built through decades of investment, talent development, and the strengthening of capabilities required for highly regulated manufacturing environments. Today, the country supplies medical technologies to markets around the world, reinforcing its role within the global Life Sciences industry.
Coyol Free Zone plays a main part in this trajectory as Costa Rica’s leading Life Sciences hub. Home to 34 world-class companies operating across the sectors of Medical Devices, Semiconductors, and Smart Manufacturing, the Park has become a strategic business platform for organizations with global reach from the heart of the Americas. This contribution is reflected in a key figure: 54.9% of Costa Rica’s Medical Device exports originated from Coyol Free Zone. This performance represents the convergence of infrastructure, purpose-built facilities, skilled talent, connectivity, and specialized on-site services that enable companies to compete globally.
Bringing Critical Capabilities Together
For advanced manufacturing companies, the proximity of specialized services can be a decisive operational advantage. Having critical capabilities available within the same industrial environment reduces the need to coordinate processes across multiple locations, facilitates faster response times, and strengthens continuity throughout the production cycle.
One of the defining attributes of Coyol Free Zone is the availability of on-site specialized solutions available. Alongside state-of-the-art buildings designed to accommodate complex manufacturing processes, companies have access to critical services that support multiple stages of production, including sterilization, packaging, molding, extrusion, assembly, and logistics.
Bringing these capabilities together within a single location helps streamline processes, reduce operational complexity, and facilitate collaboration across the value chain. This integrated model has contributed to the continued expansion of the companies established within the Park. In fact, 80% have expanded their footprint since beginning operations in Costa Rica.
Coyol Free Zone is also home to seven of the Top 30 Global Medical Device companies, demonstrating its position as one of the most significant hubs of Life Sciences manufacturing in the region.
Talent is essential to the performance of the industry. Today, more than 25,400 people work across the 34 companies located in Coyol Free Zone, bringing together technical expertise, precision, and commitment to continuous improvement. Through empleocode.com, companies can connect directly with qualified candidates as they continue to expand their teams and operations.
Connecting Costa Rica’s Innovation to Global Markets
For export-oriented industries, the ability to ship products efficiently across borders is just as important as the ability to manufacture them.
Located in El Coyol de Alajuela, Coyol Free Zone offers direct access to Costa Rica’s main transportation corridors and is located only six miles from the Juan Santamaría International Airport. This connectivity facilitates the distribution of products, components, and materials to destinations across North America, Europe, Latin America, and Asia.
In 2023 alone, exports generated from Coyol Free Zone reached US$4.4 billion, representing a 31% increase compared to the previous year and growth of 382% in less than a decade.
At the same time, the Park continues contributing to broader economic development through initiatives that strengthen productive linkages with Costa Rican suppliers. Initiatives such as Coyol Impulsa promote opportunities for businesses distinguished by their quality, sustainability and innovation, helping expand local participation in global value chains.
The integration of national suppliers into sophisticated value chains such as those at Coyol Free Zone not only boosts the competitiveness of companies but also delivers concrete benefits to Costa Rica’s economy. According to PROCOMER data, nearly 60% of Free Zone exporters had at least one local supplier in their operations in 2022. These linkages promote transfer of knowledge, technification of processes, and the creation of quality employment.
Specifically, the Medical Devices sector, where Coyol Free Zone is a global benchmark, accounted for 27% of local purchases made by companies under the Free Zone Regime in 2022.
Together, these results demonstrate how Coyol Free Zone brings the ideal conditions to serve the most sophisticated industries into a single location, enabling companies to establish, expand, and succeed in Costa Rica. As the demand for manufacturing technologies, solutions, and capabilities continues to grow, Coyol Free Zone’s specialization, and operational readiness reinforce its position as a strategic destination for companies seeking to advance their operations and strengthen their presence in the region.