Labor participation rate in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Labor participation rate was 57.66 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
57.66
Change on year
down 0.0%
World rank
122nd
of 186 countries
All-time high
64.33
in 2012
All-time low
55.66
in 1992
Years of data
36
1990–2025
Labor participation rate in Costa Rica, 1990–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for labor participation rate in Costa Rica is 57.66, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 8.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor participation rate in Costa Rica peaked at 64.33 in 2012 and was at its lowest, 55.66, in 1992.
That places Costa Rica 122nd out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Labor participation rate in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 57.35 | — |
| 1991 | 56.5 | -1.5% |
| 1992 | 55.66 | -1.5% |
| 1993 | 56.54 | +1.6% |
| 1994 | 57.02 | +0.8% |
| 1995 | 58.03 | +1.8% |
| 1996 | 55.97 | -3.5% |
| 1997 | 58.13 | +3.9% |
| 1998 | 59.69 | +2.7% |
| 1999 | 59.69 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 58.87 | -1.4% |
| 2001 | 60.23 | +2.3% |
| 2002 | 59.76 | -0.8% |
| 2003 | 60.04 | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 58.87 | -2.0% |
| 2005 | 61.31 | +4.1% |
| 2006 | 60.65 | -1.1% |
| 2007 | 61.43 | +1.3% |
| 2008 | 60.91 | -0.8% |
| 2009 | 60.48 | -0.7% |
| 2010 | 59.21 | -2.1% |
| 2011 | 60.62 | +2.4% |
| 2012 | 64.33 | +6.1% |
| 2013 | 63.66 | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 64.19 | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 62.81 | -2.2% |
| 2016 | 59.69 | -5.0% |
| 2017 | 59.85 | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 62.21 | +3.9% |
| 2019 | 64.26 | +3.3% |
| 2020 | 60.63 | -5.7% |
| 2021 | 61.77 | +1.9% |
| 2022 | 61.49 | -0.4% |
| 2023 | 56.83 | -7.6% |
| 2024 | 57.69 | +1.5% |
| 2025 | 57.66 | -0.0% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 57.66 is below the median for high income countries, which is 62.28, 93% of the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 57.66 is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 63.14, 91% of the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 57.46 | 55.66 | 59.69 | 10 |
| 2000s | 60.25 | 58.87 | 61.43 | 10 |
| 2010s | 62.08 | 59.21 | 64.33 | 10 |
| 2020s | 59.34 | 56.83 | 61.77 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
- 119 Montenegro 57.97 compare
- 120 Togo 57.84 compare
- 121 Trinidad and Tobago 57.75 compare
- 123 Slovenia 57.56 compare
- 124 Uzbekistan 57.5 compare
- 125 Spain 57.41 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 labor participation rate in Costa Rica?
- Labor participation rate in Costa Rica was 57.66 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest labor participation rate recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 64.33 in 2012.
- What is the lowest labor participation rate recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 55.66 in 1992.
- How does Costa Rica rank for labor participation rate?
- Costa Rica ranks 122nd out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor participation rate rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Labor participation 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).