Population by labor force status in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Population by labor force status was 943,431 people in 2025. ▼ Falling
Population by labor force status in Costa Rica, 1991–2025
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for population by labor force status in Costa Rica is 943,431 people, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
That represents a change of down 2.2% on the previous year and down 13.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population by labor force status in Costa Rica peaked at 1.23 million people in 1999 and was at its lowest, 943,431 people, in 2025.
That places Costa Rica 124th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.20 million people | 1.14 million people | 1.23 million people | 9 |
| 2000s | 1.19 million people | 1.14 million people | 1.23 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.09 million people | 1.06 million people | 1.13 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 995,654 people | 943,431 people | 1.04 million people | 6 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
More work & labour data for Costa Rica
- Legislation on sexual harassment in employment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Criminal sanctions or compensation for workplace sexual harassment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Women can take the same jobs as men 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 57.7% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 69.8% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 66.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 46.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15-6 65.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 77.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 53.5% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population by labor force status in Costa Rica?
- Population by labor force status in Costa Rica was 943,431 people in 2025, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest population by labor force status recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 1.23 million people in 1999.
- What is the lowest population by labor force status recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 943,431 people in 2025.
- How does Costa Rica rank for population by labor force status?
- Costa Rica ranks 124th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population by labor force status rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Population by labor force status. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Population below working age (under 15 years old).