Chile vs Costa Rica: Public sector employment as a share of total employment
Chile
15.3%
in 2020
Costa Rica
13.0%
in 2021
Chile rank
51st
Costa Rica rank
54th
Public sector employment as a share of total employment over time
- Chile
- Costa Rica
How they compare
Chile currently reports 15.3% against 13.0% in Costa Rica, a difference of 2.3%.
That makes Chile's figure about 1.2 times Costa Rica's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 7 shared years of data; in 2000 it was Costa Rica ahead.
Chile ranks 51st and Costa Rica ranks 54th of 79 countries.
Across the 3 decades both report, Chile averaged higher in 1 and Costa Rica in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Chile | Costa Rica | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 8.8% | 14.2% | 5.4% | Costa Rica |
| 2010s | 12.4% | 15.0% | 2.7% | Costa Rica |
| 2020s | 15.3% | 14.8% | 0.5% | Chile |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher public sector employment as a share of total employment, Chile or Costa Rica?
- Chile, at 15.3% against 13.0% in Costa Rica as of 2020.
- What is the difference in public sector employment as a share of total employment between Chile and Costa Rica?
- 2.3%, with Chile ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Chile and Costa Rica?
- 7 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2020.
- How do Chile and Costa Rica rank globally for public sector employment as a share of total employment?
- Chile ranks 51st and Costa Rica ranks 54th of 79 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Bank (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Public sector employment as a share of total employment. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Share of all employed people who are paid employees of the public sector, including government, the armed forces, public services, and state-owned enterprises.