Share of workers who are employees vs. GDP per capita in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Share of workers who are employees vs. GDP per capita was 73.2% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of workers who are employees vs. GDP per capita in Costa Rica, 1991–2024
Source: International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Costa Rica recorded 73.2% for share of workers who are employees vs. gdp per capita in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.3% on the previous year and up 4.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of workers who are employees vs. gdp per capita in Costa Rica peaked at 73.4% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 66.7%, in 1991.
That places Costa Rica 77th out of 186 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Share of workers who are employees vs. GDP per capita in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 66.7% | — |
| 1992 | 68.9% | +3.4% |
| 1993 | 68.9% | -0.0% |
| 1994 | 68.9% | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 68.4% | -0.7% |
| 1996 | 68.2% | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 66.9% | -1.9% |
| 1998 | 67.9% | +1.6% |
| 1999 | 68.0% | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 68.2% | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 68.3% | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 67.8% | -0.8% |
| 2003 | 68.9% | +1.6% |
| 2004 | 68.1% | -1.1% |
| 2005 | 70.9% | +4.1% |
| 2006 | 70.1% | -1.1% |
| 2007 | 72.5% | +3.4% |
| 2008 | 72.3% | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 72.3% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 73.1% | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 73.2% | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 72.4% | -1.0% |
| 2013 | 69.8% | -3.6% |
| 2014 | 70.3% | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 70.6% | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 71.7% | +1.6% |
| 2017 | 71.8% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 71.6% | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 71.6% | -0.0% |
| 2020 | 71.2% | -0.5% |
| 2021 | 71.7% | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 72.4% | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 73.4% | +1.4% |
| 2024 | 73.2% | -0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 68.1% | 66.7% | 68.9% | 9 |
| 2000s | 69.9% | 67.8% | 72.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 71.6% | 69.8% | 73.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 72.4% | 71.2% | 73.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
- 74 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 74.1% compare
- 75 Kazakhstan 73.8% compare
- 76 Libya 73.7% compare
- 78 Saint Lucia 73.1% compare
- 79 Egypt 72.9% compare
- 80 Serbia 72.8% compare
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 workers who are employees vs. gdp per capita in Costa Rica?
- Share of workers who are employees vs. gdp per capita in Costa Rica was 73.2% in 2024, according to International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of workers who are employees vs. gdp per capita recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 73.4% in 2023.
- What is the lowest share of workers who are employees vs. gdp per capita recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 66.7% in 1991.
- How does Costa Rica rank for share of workers who are employees vs. gdp per capita?
- Costa Rica ranks 77th out of 186 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of workers who are employees vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.1%. 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 (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of workers who are employees vs. GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of people in employment working as employees, as a percentage of total employment.