LU2: Combined rate of time-related underemployment and unemployment in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: LU2: Combined rate of time-related underemployment and unemployment was 7.28 in 2025. ▲ Rising
LU2: Combined rate of time-related underemployment and unemployment in Costa Rica, 2001–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
In 2025, lu2: combined rate of time-related underemployment and unemployment in Costa Rica stood at 7.28. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 12.0% on the previous year and down 54.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, lu2: combined rate of time-related underemployment and unemployment in Costa Rica peaked at 28.25 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 7.28, in 2025.
That places Costa Rica 36th out of 61 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
LU2: Combined rate of time-related underemployment and unemployment in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 12.63 | — |
| 2002 | 13.7 | +8.5% |
| 2003 | 13.75 | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 12.96 | -5.7% |
| 2005 | 14.3 | +10.4% |
| 2006 | 12.55 | -12.3% |
| 2007 | 11.39 | -9.2% |
| 2008 | 10.86 | -4.7% |
| 2009 | 14.58 | +34.3% |
| 2010 | 13.58 | -6.9% |
| 2011 | 14.03 | +3.3% |
| 2012 | 15.3 | +9.1% |
| 2013 | 16.41 | +7.2% |
| 2014 | 16.64 | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 16.14 | -3.0% |
| 2016 | 13.25 | -17.9% |
| 2017 | 12.85 | -3.0% |
| 2018 | 13.79 | +7.3% |
| 2019 | 16.64 | +20.6% |
| 2020 | 28.25 | +69.8% |
| 2021 | 23.12 | -18.1% |
| 2022 | 17.41 | -24.7% |
| 2023 | 10.99 | -36.9% |
| 2024 | 8.27 | -24.7% |
| 2025 | 7.28 | -12.0% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 7.28 is below the median for high income countries, which is 7.71, 94% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 7.28 is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 8.77, 83% of the median. (16 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 12.97 | 10.86 | 14.58 | 9 |
| 2010s | 14.86 | 12.85 | 16.64 | 10 |
| 2020s | 15.89 | 7.28 | 28.25 | 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 lu2: combined rate of time-related underemployment and unemployment in Costa Rica?
- Lu2: combined rate of time-related underemployment and unemployment in Costa Rica was 7.28 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest lu2: combined rate of time-related underemployment and unemployment recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 28.25 in 2020.
- What is the lowest lu2: combined rate of time-related underemployment and unemployment recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.28 in 2025.
- How does Costa Rica rank for lu2: combined rate of time-related underemployment and unemployment?
- Costa Rica ranks 36th out of 61 countries with data for 2025.
- Is lu2: combined rate of time-related underemployment and unemployment rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 54.9%. 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 LU2: Combined rate of time-related underemployment and unemployment for persons ages 25 to 54 (previous ILO definition - ICLS13). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).
About this data
With the aim of promoting international comparability, statistics presented on ILOSTAT are based on standard international definitions wherever feasible and may differ from official national figures. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. For time series comparability, it includes countries that have implemented the 19th ICLS standards, for which data are also available in the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database. LU2 represents the share of the labour force, in this case for persons of prime age (i.e., persons ages 25 to 54), that are either in unemployment or time-related underemployment. For more information, refer to the Gender Equality and Non-Discrimination Indicators (GEND) database description.