Female employment rate in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Female employment rate was 40.9% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Female employment rate in Costa Rica, 1990–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, female employment rate in Costa Rica stood at 40.9%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.0% on the previous year and down 8.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, female employment rate in Costa Rica peaked at 46.0% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 31.0%, in 1990.
That places Costa Rica 131st out of 172 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Female employment rate in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 31.0% | — |
| 1991 | 31.2% | +0.5% |
| 1992 | 31.1% | -0.3% |
| 1993 | 32.0% | +2.8% |
| 1994 | 32.8% | +2.5% |
| 1995 | 33.4% | +1.8% |
| 1996 | 31.3% | -6.2% |
| 1997 | 34.4% | +9.9% |
| 1998 | 36.6% | +6.2% |
| 1999 | 37.0% | +1.2% |
| 2000 | 35.8% | -3.3% |
| 2001 | 39.1% | +9.2% |
| 2002 | 38.7% | -0.9% |
| 2003 | 39.1% | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 37.4% | -4.3% |
| 2005 | 40.3% | +7.8% |
| 2006 | 40.6% | +0.8% |
| 2007 | 42.4% | +4.3% |
| 2008 | 43.4% | +2.3% |
| 2009 | 41.8% | -3.7% |
| 2010 | 40.4% | -3.3% |
| 2011 | 40.7% | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 45.6% | +12.1% |
| 2013 | 46.0% | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 45.7% | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 44.6% | -2.3% |
| 2016 | 41.1% | -7.9% |
| 2017 | 41.2% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 42.9% | +4.0% |
| 2019 | 45.1% | +5.2% |
| 2020 | 38.1% | -15.5% |
| 2021 | 40.0% | +4.8% |
| 2022 | 42.5% | +6.3% |
| 2023 | 39.4% | -7.3% |
| 2024 | 42.2% | +7.2% |
| 2025 | 40.9% | -3.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 33.1% | 31.0% | 37.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 39.9% | 35.8% | 43.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 43.3% | 40.4% | 46.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 40.5% | 38.1% | 42.5% | 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 female employment rate in Costa Rica?
- Female employment rate in Costa Rica was 40.9% in 2025, according to Labour Force Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest female employment rate recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 46.0% in 2013.
- What is the lowest female employment rate recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 31.0% in 1990.
- How does Costa Rica rank for female employment rate?
- Costa Rica ranks 131st out of 172 countries with data for 2025.
- Is female employment rate rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from Labour Force Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Female employment rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of the female working-age population who are employed. Figures refer to national estimates and may not be fully comparable across countries.