SDG indicator 8.3.1: Proportion of informal employment in total in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: SDG indicator 8.3.1: Proportion of informal employment in total was 36.11 in 2025. ▼ Falling
SDG indicator 8.3.1: Proportion of informal employment in total in Costa Rica, 2014–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
The most recent figure for sdg indicator 8.3.1: proportion of informal employment in total in Costa Rica is 36.11, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 12 years on record.
That represents a change of down 3.4% on the previous year and down 14.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, sdg indicator 8.3.1: proportion of informal employment in total in Costa Rica peaked at 42.05 in 2015 and was at its lowest, 36.11, in 2025.
That places Costa Rica 13th out of 47 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 12 years of available data.
SDG indicator 8.3.1: Proportion of informal employment in total in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 41.22 | — |
| 2015 | 42.05 | +2.0% |
| 2016 | 40.16 | -4.5% |
| 2017 | 40.73 | +1.4% |
| 2018 | 40.92 | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 41.85 | +2.3% |
| 2020 | 40.02 | -4.4% |
| 2021 | 41.31 | +3.2% |
| 2022 | 39.87 | -3.5% |
| 2023 | 37.1 | -6.9% |
| 2024 | 37.38 | +0.7% |
| 2025 | 36.11 | -3.4% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 36.11 is above the median for high income countries, which is 4.32, 8.4× the median. (32 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 36.11 is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 36.11, 1.0× the median. (7 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 41.15 | 40.16 | 42.05 | 6 |
| 2020s | 38.63 | 36.11 | 41.31 | 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 sdg indicator 8.3.1: proportion of informal employment in total in Costa Rica?
- Sdg indicator 8.3.1: proportion of informal employment in total in Costa Rica was 36.11 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest sdg indicator 8.3.1: proportion of informal employment in total recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 42.05 in 2015.
- What is the lowest sdg indicator 8.3.1: proportion of informal employment in total recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 36.11 in 2025.
- How does Costa Rica rank for sdg indicator 8.3.1: proportion of informal employment in total?
- Costa Rica ranks 13th out of 47 countries with data for 2025.
- Is sdg indicator 8.3.1: proportion of informal employment in total rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.1%. 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 SDG indicator 8.3.1: Proportion of informal employment in total employment (current ILO definition - ICLS19). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 12 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).
About this data
Data may differ from nationally reported figures and the Global SDG Indicators Database due to differences in sources and/or reference years. This indicator conveys the share of informal employment in total employment. Employment comprises all persons of working age who, during a specified brief period, were either in paid employment (whether at work or with a job but not at work) or in self-employment (whether at work or with an enterprise but not at work). Informal employment comprises persons who in their main or secondary jobs were (a) own-account workers, employers and members of producers' cooperatives employed in their own informal sector enterprises; (b) own-account workers engaged in the production of goods exclusively for own final use by their household (e.g. subsistence farming); (c) contributing family workers, regardless of whether they work in formal or informal sector enterprises; or (d) employees holding informal jobs, whether employed by formal sector enterprises, informal sector enterprises, or as paid domestic workers by households. Data disaggregated by economic activity are provided according to the latest version of the International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities (ISIC) available for that year. Data may have been regrouped from national classifications, which may not be strictly compatible with ISIC. For more information, refer to the Labour Market-related SDG Indicators (ILOSDG) database description.