Costa Rica vs Nicaragua: Armed forces personnel as a share of the total labor force
Costa Rica
0.4%
in 2020
Nicaragua
0.4%
in 2020
Costa Rica rank
128th
Nicaragua rank
131st
Armed forces personnel as a share of the total labor force over time
- Costa Rica
- Nicaragua
How they compare
Costa Rica currently reports 0.4% against 0.4% in Nicaragua, a difference of 0.0%.
The two have swapped places 5 times across 29 shared years of data; in 1990 it was Nicaragua ahead.
Costa Rica ranks 128th and Nicaragua ranks 131st of 171 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, Costa Rica averaged higher in 2 and Nicaragua in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | Nicaragua | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.9% | 1.2% | 0.3% | Nicaragua |
| 2000s | 0.8% | 0.7% | 0.2% | Costa Rica |
| 2010s | 0.4% | 0.5% | 0.0% | Nicaragua |
| 2020s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.0% | Costa Rica |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher armed forces personnel as a share of the total labor force, Costa Rica or Nicaragua?
- Costa Rica, at 0.4% against 0.4% in Nicaragua as of 2020.
- What is the difference in armed forces personnel as a share of the total labor force between Costa Rica and Nicaragua?
- 0.0%, with Costa Rica ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and Nicaragua?
- 29 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2020.
- How do Costa Rica and Nicaragua rank globally for armed forces personnel as a share of the total labor force?
- Costa Rica ranks 128th and Nicaragua ranks 131st of 171 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Armed forces personnel as a share of the total labor force. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Armed forces personnel are active duty military personnel, including paramilitary forces if their training, organization, equipment, and control suggest they may be used to support or replace regular military forces.