Employment in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Employment was 2,230 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
2,230
Change on year
down 1.2%
World rank
102nd
of 174 countries
All-time high
2,260
in 2019
All-time low
724.71
in 1980
Years of data
45
1980–2025
Employment in Costa Rica, 1980–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
In 2025, employment in Costa Rica stood at 2,230.
The figure is down 1.2% on the previous year and up 4.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in Costa Rica peaked at 2,260 in 2019 and was at its lowest, 724.71, in 1980.
Costa Rica ranks 102nd of 174 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Employment in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 724.71 | — |
| 1981 | 726.23 | +0.2% |
| 1982 | 759.88 | +4.6% |
| 1983 | 767.6 | +1.0% |
| 1984 | 818.7 | +6.7% |
| 1985 | 826.7 | +1.0% |
| 1986 | 854.22 | +3.3% |
| 1987 | 923.31 | +8.1% |
| 1988 | 951.19 | +3.0% |
| 1989 | 987.04 | +3.8% |
| 1990 | 1,017 | +3.1% |
| 1991 | 1,007 | -1.0% |
| 1992 | 1,043 | +3.6% |
| 1993 | 1,096 | +5.1% |
| 1994 | 1,138 | +3.8% |
| 1995 | 1,168 | +2.7% |
| 1996 | 1,145 | -2.0% |
| 1997 | 1,227 | +7.2% |
| 1998 | 1,300 | +5.9% |
| 1999 | 1,300 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 1,319 | +1.4% |
| 2001 | 1,553 | +17.8% |
| 2002 | 1,586 | +2.2% |
| 2003 | 1,640 | +3.4% |
| 2004 | 1,654 | +0.8% |
| 2005 | 1,777 | +7.4% |
| 2006 | 1,830 | +3.0% |
| 2007 | 1,926 | +5.2% |
| 2008 | 1,958 | +1.7% |
| 2010 | 1,908 | -2.6% |
| 2011 | 1,897 | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 2,062 | +8.7% |
| 2013 | 2,097 | +1.7% |
| 2014 | 2,146 | +2.3% |
| 2015 | 2,138 | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 2,073 | -3.0% |
| 2017 | 2,118 | +2.2% |
| 2018 | 2,202 | +3.9% |
| 2019 | 2,260 | +2.7% |
| 2020 | 2,025 | -10.4% |
| 2021 | 2,122 | +4.8% |
| 2022 | 2,236 | +5.4% |
| 2023 | 2,164 | -3.2% |
| 2024 | 2,258 | +4.4% |
| 2025 | 2,230 | -1.2% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 2,230 is below the median for high income countries, which is 2,235, 100% of the median. (72 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 2,230 is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 2,099, 1.1× the median. (36 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 833.96 | 724.71 | 987.04 | 10 |
| 1990s | 1,144 | 1,007 | 1,300 | 10 |
| 2000s | 1,694 | 1,319 | 1,958 | 9 |
| 2010s | 2,090 | 1,897 | 2,260 | 10 |
| 2020s | 2,173 | 2,025 | 2,258 | 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 Costa Rica?
- Employment in Costa Rica was 2,230 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest employment recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 2,260 in 2019.
- What is the lowest employment recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 724.71 in 1980.
- How does Costa Rica rank for employment?
- Costa Rica ranks 102nd out of 174 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Employment (previous ILO definition - ICLS13). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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