Employers, total (% of total employment) in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Employers, total (% of total employment) was 3.2% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Employers, total (% of total employment) in Costa Rica, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for employers, total (% of total employment) in Costa Rica is 3.2%, measured in 2025.
The figure is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 11.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employers, total (% of total employment) in Costa Rica peaked at 4.2% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 0.2%, in 1992.
Costa Rica ranks 104th of 187 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Employers, total (% of total employment) in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 0.3% | — |
| 1992 | 0.2% | -23.9% |
| 1993 | 0.3% | +43.8% |
| 1994 | 2.1% | +534.7% |
| 1995 | 1.5% | -27.3% |
| 1996 | 2.5% | +60.2% |
| 1997 | 2.8% | +13.2% |
| 1998 | 3.3% | +19.2% |
| 1999 | 3.5% | +6.2% |
| 2000 | 3.6% | +1.3% |
| 2001 | 3.6% | +1.0% |
| 2002 | 3.5% | -3.4% |
| 2003 | 4.2% | +21.2% |
| 2004 | 3.7% | -12.0% |
| 2005 | 3.1% | -17.4% |
| 2006 | 3.3% | +8.3% |
| 2007 | 2.8% | -15.6% |
| 2008 | 3.1% | +9.6% |
| 2009 | 3.1% | +1.4% |
| 2010 | 3.1% | -1.3% |
| 2011 | 3.1% | +1.2% |
| 2012 | 2.6% | -17.9% |
| 2013 | 2.9% | +13.8% |
| 2014 | 3.1% | +4.4% |
| 2015 | 2.9% | -5.3% |
| 2016 | 3.5% | +19.7% |
| 2017 | 3.7% | +8.0% |
| 2018 | 3.8% | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 3.1% | -17.1% |
| 2020 | 3.0% | -4.2% |
| 2021 | 2.9% | -4.6% |
| 2022 | 2.8% | -3.1% |
| 2023 | 2.8% | +2.7% |
| 2024 | 3.2% | +13.0% |
| 2025 | 3.2% | +0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.9% | 0.2% | 3.5% | 9 |
| 2000s | 3.4% | 2.8% | 4.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.2% | 2.6% | 3.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.0% | 2.8% | 3.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
More work & labour data for Costa Rica
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.9965 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.9952 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.9977 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.61 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.29 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 5,205 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 569.35 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 1,908 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 1,868 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 3,776 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employers, total (% of total employment) in Costa Rica?
- Employers, total (% of total employment) in Costa Rica was 3.2% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest employers, total (% of total employment) recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 4.2% in 2003.
- What is the lowest employers, total (% of total employment) recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2% in 1992.
- How does Costa Rica rank for employers, total (% of total employment)?
- Costa Rica ranks 104th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employers, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Employers, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Employers are those workers who, working on their own account or with one or a few partners, hold the type of jobs defined as a "self-employment jobs" i.e. jobs where the remuneration is directly dependent upon the profits derived from the goods and services produced), and, in this capacity, have engaged, on a continuous basis, one or more persons to work for them as employee(s).