Costa Rica vs Panama: Unemployment (current ILO definition - ICLS19)
Unemployment (current ILO definition - ICLS19) over time
- Costa Rica
- Panama
How they compare
Panama currently reports 178.31 against 151.04 in Costa Rica, a difference of 27.27.
That makes Panama's figure about 1.2 times Costa Rica's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 12 shared years of data; in 2014 it was Costa Rica ahead.
Costa Rica ranks 43rd and Panama ranks 40th of 72 countries.
Costa Rica has averaged higher in every one of the 2 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | Panama | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 207.9 | 98.04 | 109.87 | Costa Rica |
| 2020s | 263.02 | 207.87 | 55.14 | Costa Rica |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher unemployment (current ilo definition - icls19), Costa Rica or Panama?
- Panama, at 178.31 against 151.04 in Costa Rica as of 2025.
- What is the difference in unemployment (current ilo definition - icls19) between Costa Rica and Panama?
- 27.27, with Panama ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and Panama?
- 12 years are reported by both, from 2014 to 2025.
- How do Costa Rica and Panama rank globally for unemployment (current ilo definition - icls19)?
- Costa Rica ranks 43rd and Panama ranks 40th of 72 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- International Labour Organization, published as Unemployment (current ILO definition - ICLS19) (15+). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
With the aim of promoting international comparability, statistics presented on ILOSTAT are based on standard international definitions wherever feasible and may differ from official national figures. This series includes only countries for which the 19th ICLS definitions are applied. The unemployed comprise all persons of working age who were: a) without work during the reference period, i.e. were not in paid employment or self-employment; b) currently available for work, i.e. were available for paid employment or self-employment during the reference period; and c) seeking work, i.e. had taken specific steps in a specified recent period to seek paid employment or self-employment. For more information, refer to the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database description.