Share of care employment outside the formal sector in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Share of care employment outside the formal sector was 27.55 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of care employment outside the formal sector in Costa Rica, 2017–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
Costa Rica recorded 27.55 for share of care employment outside the formal sector in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 9 years on record.
The figure is down 1.0% on the previous year and down 20.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of care employment outside the formal sector in Costa Rica peaked at 39.61 in 2018 and was at its lowest, 27.55, in 2025.
Costa Rica ranks 23rd of 43 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Share of care employment outside the formal sector in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 34.45 | — |
| 2018 | 39.61 | +15.0% |
| 2019 | 38.39 | -3.1% |
| 2020 | 28.85 | -24.8% |
| 2021 | 31.88 | +10.5% |
| 2022 | 34.53 | +8.3% |
| 2023 | 30.26 | -12.4% |
| 2024 | 27.82 | -8.1% |
| 2025 | 27.55 | -1.0% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 27.55 is above the median for high income countries, which is 14.51, 1.9× the median. (6 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 27.55 is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 31.35, 88% of the median. (15 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 37.48 | 34.45 | 39.61 | 3 |
| 2020s | 30.15 | 27.55 | 34.53 | 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 share of care employment outside the formal sector in Costa Rica?
- Share of care employment outside the formal sector in Costa Rica was 27.55 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest share of care employment outside the formal sector recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 39.61 in 2018.
- What is the lowest share of care employment outside the formal sector recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 27.55 in 2025.
- How does Costa Rica rank for share of care employment outside the formal sector?
- Costa Rica ranks 23rd out of 43 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of care employment outside the formal sector rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.0%. 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 Share of care employment outside the formal sector (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. This harmonized series for employment outside the formal sector is derived using the same set of criteria across countries to improve comparability. The criteria used are based on employment status, institutional sector, destination of production, bookkeeping, registration, social security contribution, places of work and size. For more information, refer to the Worker and Sector Profiles (PROF) database description.