LU3: Combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force for in Costa Rica

Costa Rica: LU3: Combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force for was 6.83 in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
6.83
Change on year
down 15.6%
World rank
41st
of 65 countries
All-time high
21.69
in 2020
All-time low
6.83
in 2025
Years of data
16
2010–2025

LU3: Combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force for in Costa Rica, 2010–2025

51015202010201720252010: 11.12011: 12.12012: 13.62013: 15.32014: 15.42015: 15.12016: 15.62017: 14.32018: 152019: 15.32020: 21.72021: 16.72022: 13.92023: 9.82024: 8.12025: 6.8

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

Costa Rica recorded 6.83 for lu3: combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force for in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 16 years on record.

The figure is down 15.6% on the previous year and down 54.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, lu3: combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force for in Costa Rica peaked at 21.69 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 6.83, in 2025.

Costa Rica ranks 41st of 65 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 16 years of available data.

LU3: Combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force for in Costa Rica, year by year

Annual values for LU3: Combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force for persons ages 25 to 54 (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) in Costa Rica, 2010 to 2025.
Year Value Change
2010 11.15
2011 12.12 +8.7%
2012 13.57 +12.0%
2013 15.31 +12.8%
2014 15.41 +0.6%
2015 15.09 -2.1%
2016 15.56 +3.1%
2017 14.35 -7.8%
2018 15 +4.6%
2019 15.35 +2.3%
2020 21.69 +41.3%
2021 16.67 -23.2%
2022 13.89 -16.7%
2023 9.83 -29.2%
2024 8.09 -17.7%
2025 6.83 -15.6%

Costa Rica compared with similar countries

  • Costa Rica's 6.83 is below the median for high income countries, which is 6.97, 98% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
  • Costa Rica's 6.83 is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 8.19, 83% of the median. (14 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 14.29 11.15 15.56 10
2020s 12.83 6.83 21.69 6

Countries ranked near Costa Rica

  1. 38 Belize 7.25 compare
  2. 39 Paraguay 7.05 compare
  3. 40 Austria 6.97 compare
  4. 42 Romania 6.54 compare
  5. 43 Belgium 5.76 compare
  6. 44 Ireland 5.52 compare

See the full ranking of 65 places →

More work & labour data for Costa Rica

All data for Costa Rica →

Frequently asked questions

What is lu3: combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force for in Costa Rica?
Lu3: combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force for in Costa Rica was 6.83 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest lu3: combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force for recorded in Costa Rica?
The highest recorded value was 21.69 in 2020.
What is the lowest lu3: combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force for recorded in Costa Rica?
The lowest recorded value was 6.83 in 2025.
How does Costa Rica rank for lu3: combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force for?
Costa Rica ranks 41st out of 65 countries with data for 2025.
Is lu3: combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force for rising or falling in Costa Rica?
Over the last ten years it is down 54.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of LU3: Combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force for persons ages 25 to 54 (previous ILO definition - ICLS13). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 16 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

LU3: Combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force for in Costa Rica. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/lu3-combined-rate-of-unemployment-and-potential-labour-force-for-persons-ages-25-to-54/costa-rica/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/lu3-combined-rate-of-unemployment-and-potential-labour-force-for-persons-ages-25-to-54/costa-rica/">LU3: Combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force for in Costa Rica</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
LU3: Combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force for persons ages 25 to 54 (previous ILO definition - ICLS13)
Source
International Labour Organization
Licence
ILO Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
65 places, 981 data points, 2000–2025
Last refreshed

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. LU3 represents the share of the extended labour force, in this case for persons of prime age (i.e., persons ages 25 to 54), that are in unemployment or the potential labour force. For more information, refer to the Gender Equality and Non-Discrimination Indicators (GEND) database description.