Employment in industry (% of total employment) in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Employment in industry (% of total employment) was 18.5% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Employment in industry (% of total employment) in Costa Rica, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Costa Rica recorded 18.5% for employment in industry (% of total employment) in 2025.
That represents a change of down 0.7% on the previous year and up 0.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in industry (% of total employment) in Costa Rica peaked at 26.6% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 15.9%, in 2013.
That places Costa Rica 101st out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Employment in industry (% of total employment) in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 26.6% | — |
| 1992 | 26.3% | -0.9% |
| 1993 | 25.9% | -1.7% |
| 1994 | 26.2% | +1.1% |
| 1995 | 24.1% | -8.1% |
| 1996 | 23.8% | -1.2% |
| 1997 | 23.7% | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 23.1% | -2.5% |
| 1999 | 23.2% | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 22.2% | -4.3% |
| 2001 | 22.1% | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 21.3% | -3.7% |
| 2003 | 21.0% | -1.3% |
| 2004 | 20.8% | -1.0% |
| 2005 | 20.4% | -2.1% |
| 2006 | 20.5% | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 21.0% | +2.3% |
| 2008 | 20.4% | -2.8% |
| 2009 | 20.1% | -1.3% |
| 2010 | 18.7% | -7.1% |
| 2011 | 18.6% | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 17.5% | -5.6% |
| 2013 | 15.9% | -9.2% |
| 2014 | 17.0% | +7.1% |
| 2015 | 18.5% | +8.4% |
| 2016 | 18.0% | -2.7% |
| 2017 | 17.9% | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 18.9% | +5.8% |
| 2019 | 18.1% | -4.4% |
| 2020 | 18.1% | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 17.6% | -2.7% |
| 2022 | 19.0% | +7.9% |
| 2023 | 20.2% | +6.5% |
| 2024 | 18.6% | -7.9% |
| 2025 | 18.5% | -0.7% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 18.5% is below the median for high income countries, which is 19.9%, 93% of the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 18.5% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 18.8%, 98% of the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 24.7% | 23.1% | 26.6% | 9 |
| 2000s | 21.0% | 20.1% | 22.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.9% | 15.9% | 18.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.7% | 17.6% | 20.2% | 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 employment in industry (% of total employment) in Costa Rica?
- Employment in industry (% of total employment) in Costa Rica was 18.5% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest employment in industry (% of total employment) recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 26.6% in 1991.
- What is the lowest employment in industry (% of total employment) recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.9% in 2013.
- How does Costa Rica rank for employment in industry (% of total employment)?
- Costa Rica ranks 101st out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment in industry (% of total employment) rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- 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 Employment in industry (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Employment is defined as persons of working age who were engaged in any activity to produce goods or provide services for pay or profit, whether at work during the reference period or not at work due to temporary absence from a job, or to working-time arrangement. The industry sector consists of mining and quarrying, manufacturing, construction, and public utilities (electricity, gas, and water), in accordance with divisions 2-5 (ISIC 2) or categories C-F (ISIC 3) or categories B-F (ISIC 4).