Informal employment in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Informal employment was 55.6% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Informal employment in Costa Rica, 2014–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO). Measured in % of total agricultural employment.
Analysis
In 2025, informal employment in Costa Rica stood at 55.6%. That is the lowest value across all 12 years on record.
The figure is down 5.3% on the previous year and down 16.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, informal employment in Costa Rica peaked at 68.5% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 55.6%, in 2025.
That places Costa Rica 15th out of 44 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 12 years of available data.
Informal employment in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | % of total agricultural employment | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 65.8% | — |
| 2015 | 66.7% | +1.4% |
| 2016 | 63.9% | -4.1% |
| 2017 | 68.5% | +7.2% |
| 2018 | 64.7% | -5.5% |
| 2019 | 67.1% | +3.7% |
| 2020 | 64.5% | -3.8% |
| 2021 | 64.4% | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 64.0% | -0.7% |
| 2023 | 60.7% | -5.1% |
| 2024 | 58.7% | -3.3% |
| 2025 | 55.6% | -5.3% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 55.6% is above the median for high income countries, which is 16.7%, 3.3× the median. (30 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 55.6% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 64.8%, 86% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 66.1% | 63.9% | 68.5% | 6 |
| 2020s | 61.3% | 55.6% | 64.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
- 12 Zimbabwe 86.6% compare
- 13 Brazil 74.0% compare
- 14 Republic of Moldova 62.0% compare
- 16 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 50.7% compare
- 17 Serbia 49.7% compare
- 18 Russian Federation 47.1% compare
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 informal employment in Costa Rica?
- Informal employment in Costa Rica was 55.6% in 2025, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest informal employment recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 68.5% in 2017.
- What is the lowest informal employment recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 55.6% in 2025.
- How does Costa Rica rank for informal employment?
- Costa Rica ranks 15th out of 44 countries with data for 2025.
- Is informal employment rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Informal employment (% of total agricultural employment). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
This indicator shows the share of workers at working age in informal employment in agricultural activities out of total employment in agricultural activities, expressed as a percentage. Informal employment comprises persons whose main or secondary jobs are informal. For own-account workers and employers, informality is determined by enterprise characteristics (unincorporated, market-based, and unregistered); for contributing family workers, it is determined by the absence of written contracts and lack of coverage under labor legislation; and for employees, it is determined by whether the employment relationship is not subject to national labor legislation, income taxation, or social protection. The data are based on the statistical standards adopted by the 19th International Conference of Labour Statisticians (ICLS).