Public sector employment in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Public sector employment was 330.06 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Public sector employment in Costa Rica, 2003–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
Costa Rica recorded 330.06 for public sector employment in 2025. That is the highest value across all 21 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.9% on the previous year and up 11.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, public sector employment in Costa Rica peaked at 330.06 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 227.65, in 2003.
That places Costa Rica 26th out of 42 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 21 years of available data.
Public sector employment in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 227.65 | — |
| 2004 | 232.61 | +2.2% |
| 2005 | 251.15 | +8.0% |
| 2006 | 264.8 | +5.4% |
| 2007 | 266.73 | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 308.11 | +15.5% |
| 2011 | 305.28 | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 319.45 | +4.6% |
| 2013 | 322.83 | +1.1% |
| 2014 | 311.77 | -3.4% |
| 2015 | 296.12 | -5.0% |
| 2016 | 294.71 | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 292.62 | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 268.44 | -8.3% |
| 2019 | 302.01 | +12.5% |
| 2020 | 288.38 | -4.5% |
| 2021 | 279.21 | -3.2% |
| 2022 | 277.43 | -0.6% |
| 2023 | 288.61 | +4.0% |
| 2024 | 314.76 | +9.1% |
| 2025 | 330.06 | +4.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 248.59 | 227.65 | 266.73 | 5 |
| 2010s | 302.14 | 268.44 | 322.83 | 10 |
| 2020s | 296.41 | 277.43 | 330.06 | 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 public sector employment in Costa Rica?
- Public sector employment in Costa Rica was 330.06 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest public sector employment recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 330.06 in 2025.
- What is the lowest public sector employment recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 227.65 in 2003.
- How does Costa Rica rank for public sector employment?
- Costa Rica ranks 26th out of 42 countries with data for 2025.
- Is public sector employment rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.5%. 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 Public sector employment (previous ILO definition - ICLS13). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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. The employed comprise all persons of working age who, during a specified brief period, were in one of the following categories: a) paid employment (whether at work or with a job but not at work); or b) self-employment (whether at work or with an enterprise but not at work). For more information, refer to the Worker and Sector Profiles (PROF) database description.