Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) was 7.2% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in Costa Rica, 1990–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in Costa Rica stood at 7.2%.
That represents a change of down 7.9% on the previous year and down 30.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in Costa Rica peaked at 21.3% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 5.0%, in 1993.
Costa Rica ranks 72nd of 181 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 5.7% | — |
| 1991 | 7.1% | +23.6% |
| 1992 | 5.3% | -25.2% |
| 1993 | 5.0% | -5.7% |
| 1994 | 5.5% | +11.6% |
| 1995 | 6.5% | +17.0% |
| 1996 | 8.2% | +26.6% |
| 1997 | 7.3% | -10.9% |
| 1998 | 7.5% | +2.8% |
| 1999 | 7.9% | +4.4% |
| 2000 | 6.6% | -15.4% |
| 2001 | 7.4% | +11.2% |
| 2002 | 7.8% | +5.1% |
| 2003 | 8.0% | +3.0% |
| 2004 | 8.3% | +3.8% |
| 2005 | 9.3% | +12.5% |
| 2006 | 8.4% | -10.3% |
| 2007 | 6.8% | -19.1% |
| 2008 | 5.9% | -13.2% |
| 2009 | 9.6% | +63.3% |
| 2010 | 9.0% | -5.8% |
| 2011 | 11.9% | +31.9% |
| 2012 | 10.9% | -9.0% |
| 2013 | 9.8% | -10.1% |
| 2014 | 10.5% | +7.9% |
| 2015 | 10.4% | -1.4% |
| 2016 | 10.2% | -1.9% |
| 2017 | 9.8% | -4.2% |
| 2018 | 11.5% | +17.5% |
| 2019 | 14.1% | +23.3% |
| 2020 | 21.3% | +50.5% |
| 2021 | 20.2% | -5.3% |
| 2022 | 15.2% | -24.5% |
| 2023 | 10.3% | -32.7% |
| 2024 | 7.8% | -24.0% |
| 2025 | 7.2% | -7.9% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 7.2% is above the median for high income countries, which is 5.5%, 1.3× the median. (75 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 7.2% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 7.9%, 91% of the median. (35 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6.6% | 5.0% | 8.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.8% | 5.9% | 9.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.8% | 9.0% | 14.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.7% | 7.2% | 21.3% | 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 unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in Costa Rica?
- Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in Costa Rica was 7.2% in 2025, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest unemployment, female (% of female labor force) recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 21.3% in 2020.
- What is the lowest unemployment, female (% of female labor force) recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.0% in 1993.
- How does Costa Rica rank for unemployment, female (% of female labor force)?
- Costa Rica ranks 72nd out of 181 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, female (% of female labor force) rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 30.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (national estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Unemployment refers to the share of the labor force that is without work but available for and seeking employment. Definitions of labor force and unemployment differ by country.