Labor force participation rate, male (% of male) … national male in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Labor force participation rate, male (% of male) … national male was 67.7% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) in Costa Rica, 1963–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Costa Rica recorded 67.7% for labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 39 years on record.
That represents a change of down 2.6% on the previous year and down 10.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) in Costa Rica peaked at 90.8% in 1963 and was at its lowest, 67.7%, in 2025.
That places Costa Rica 126th out of 196 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 39 years of available data.
Labor force participation rate, male (% of male) … national male in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1963 | 90.8% | — |
| 1973 | 81.1% | -10.7% |
| 1984 | 79.5% | -2.0% |
| 1990 | 82.4% | +3.6% |
| 1991 | 80.7% | -2.1% |
| 1992 | 79.8% | -1.1% |
| 1993 | 80.4% | +0.8% |
| 1994 | 80.1% | -0.4% |
| 1995 | 81.4% | +1.7% |
| 1996 | 78.7% | -3.3% |
| 1997 | 79.9% | +1.5% |
| 1998 | 80.9% | +1.2% |
| 1999 | 80.7% | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 79.3% | -1.7% |
| 2001 | 79.8% | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 79.2% | -0.8% |
| 2003 | 79.4% | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 78.7% | -1.0% |
| 2005 | 79.5% | +1.1% |
| 2006 | 78.9% | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 79.5% | +0.7% |
| 2008 | 78.0% | -1.8% |
| 2009 | 76.6% | -1.8% |
| 2010 | 75.4% | -1.5% |
| 2011 | 74.9% | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 77.3% | +3.3% |
| 2013 | 76.2% | -1.5% |
| 2014 | 77.2% | +1.3% |
| 2015 | 75.7% | -1.9% |
| 2016 | 73.5% | -2.9% |
| 2017 | 73.9% | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 75.9% | +2.7% |
| 2019 | 75.9% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 72.8% | -4.2% |
| 2021 | 73.4% | +0.9% |
| 2022 | 72.8% | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 69.7% | -4.3% |
| 2024 | 69.6% | -0.2% |
| 2025 | 67.7% | -2.6% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 67.7% is below the median for high income countries, which is 69.3%, 98% of the median. (79 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 67.7% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 73.5%, 92% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 90.8% | 90.8% | 90.8% | 1 |
| 1970s | 81.1% | 81.1% | 81.1% | 1 |
| 1980s | 79.5% | 79.5% | 79.5% | 1 |
| 1990s | 80.5% | 78.7% | 82.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 78.9% | 76.6% | 79.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 75.6% | 73.5% | 77.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 71.0% | 67.7% | 73.4% | 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 labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) in Costa Rica?
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) in Costa Rica was 67.7% in 2025, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 90.8% in 1963.
- What is the lowest labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 67.7% in 2025.
- How does Costa Rica rank for labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+)?
- Costa Rica ranks 126th out of 196 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.5%. 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 Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) (national estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 39 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Labor force participation rate is the proportion of the population ages 15 and older that is economically active: all people who supply labor for the production of goods and services during a specified period.