Share of employment in STEM occupations outside the formal sector in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Share of employment in STEM occupations outside the formal sector was 9.35 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of employment in STEM occupations outside the formal sector in Costa Rica, 2017–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
Costa Rica recorded 9.35 for share of employment in stem occupations outside the formal sector in 2025.
That represents a change of down 4.9% on the previous year and down 13.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of employment in stem occupations outside the formal sector in Costa Rica peaked at 10.84 in 2017 and was at its lowest, 5.6, in 2020.
Costa Rica ranks 23rd of 39 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Share of employment in STEM occupations outside the formal sector in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 10.84 | — |
| 2018 | 10.14 | -6.5% |
| 2019 | 10.02 | -1.2% |
| 2020 | 5.6 | -44.1% |
| 2021 | 5.65 | +0.8% |
| 2022 | 6.58 | +16.5% |
| 2023 | 5.82 | -11.6% |
| 2024 | 9.83 | +69.0% |
| 2025 | 9.35 | -4.9% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 9.35 is above the median for high income countries, which is 7.89, 1.2× the median. (6 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 9.35 is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 14.75, 63% of the median. (14 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 10.34 | 10.02 | 10.84 | 3 |
| 2020s | 7.14 | 5.6 | 9.83 | 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 employment in stem occupations outside the formal sector in Costa Rica?
- Share of employment in stem occupations outside the formal sector in Costa Rica was 9.35 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest share of employment in stem occupations outside the formal sector recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 10.84 in 2017.
- What is the lowest share of employment in stem occupations outside the formal sector recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.6 in 2020.
- How does Costa Rica rank for share of employment in stem occupations outside the formal sector?
- Costa Rica ranks 23rd out of 39 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of employment in stem occupations outside the formal sector rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.7%. 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 employment in STEM occupations 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. For more information, refer to the Worker and Sector Profiles (PROF) database description.