Persons outside the labour force in Costa Rica

Costa Rica: Persons outside the labour force was 1,969 in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
1,969
Change on year
down 1.8%
World rank
39th
of 57 countries
All-time high
2,006
in 2023
All-time low
1,415
in 2010
Years of data
15
2010–2025

Persons outside the labour force in Costa Rica, 2010–2025

05001.0k1.5k2.0k2010201720252010: 1.4k2012: 1.4k2013: 1.5k2014: 1.5k2015: 1.5k2016: 1.5k2017: 1.6k2018: 1.7k2019: 1.7k2020: 2.0k2021: 1.9k2022: 2.0k2023: 2.0k2024: 2.0k2025: 2.0k

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

In 2025, persons outside the labour force in Costa Rica stood at 1,969.

The figure is down 1.8% on the previous year and up 30.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, persons outside the labour force in Costa Rica peaked at 2,006 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 1,415, in 2010.

That places Costa Rica 39th out of 57 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.

Persons outside the labour force in Costa Rica, year by year

Annual values for Persons outside the labour force (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) in Costa Rica, 2010 to 2025.
Year Value Change
2010 1,415
2012 1,443 +1.9%
2013 1,488 +3.2%
2014 1,533 +3.0%
2015 1,507 -1.7%
2016 1,514 +0.5%
2017 1,628 +7.5%
2018 1,653 +1.5%
2019 1,721 +4.1%
2020 1,964 +14.1%
2021 1,867 -4.9%
2022 1,961 +5.1%
2023 2,006 +2.3%
2024 2,005 -0.0%
2025 1,969 -1.8%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 1,545 1,415 1,721 9
2020s 1,962 1,867 2,006 6

Countries ranked near Costa Rica

  1. 36 Bulgaria 2,145 compare
  2. 37 Denmark 2,114 compare
  3. 38 Rwanda 2,051 compare
  4. 40 Norway 1,923 compare
  5. 41 Palestine, State of 1,838 compare
  6. 42 Slovakia 1,700 compare

See the full ranking of 57 places →

More work & labour data for Costa Rica

All data for Costa Rica →

Frequently asked questions

What is persons outside the labour force in Costa Rica?
Persons outside the labour force in Costa Rica was 1,969 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest persons outside the labour force recorded in Costa Rica?
The highest recorded value was 2,006 in 2023.
What is the lowest persons outside the labour force recorded in Costa Rica?
The lowest recorded value was 1,415 in 2010.
How does Costa Rica rank for persons outside the labour force?
Costa Rica ranks 39th out of 57 countries with data for 2025.
Is persons outside the labour force rising or falling in Costa Rica?
Over the last ten years it is up 30.7%. 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 Persons outside the labour force (previous ILO definition - ICLS13). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Persons outside the labour force in Costa Rica. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 25 August 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/persons-outside-the-labour-force-previous-ilo-definition-icls13/costa-rica/

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About this data

Indicator
Persons outside the labour force (previous ILO definition - ICLS13)
Source
International Labour Organization
Licence
ILO Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
57 places, 865 data points, 1996–2025
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. Persons outside the labour force comprise all persons of working age who, during the specified reference period, were not in the labour force (that is, were not employed or unemployed). The term disability, as defined in the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), is used as an umbrella term, covering impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions. For measurement purposes, a person with disability is defined as a person who is limited in the kind or amount of activities that he or she can do because of ongoing difficulties due to a long-term physical condition, mental condition or health problem. For more information, refer to the Disability Labour Market Indicators (DLMI) database description.