Unemployment rate for young people in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Unemployment rate for young people was 19.95 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
19.95
Change on year
down 2.6%
World rank
50th
of 186 countries
All-time high
40.11
in 2020
All-time low
7.63
in 1992
Years of data
35
1991–2025
Unemployment rate for young people in Costa Rica, 1991–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, unemployment rate for young people in Costa Rica stood at 19.95.
That represents a change of down 2.6% on the previous year and down 10.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment rate for young people in Costa Rica peaked at 40.11 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 7.63, in 1992.
Costa Rica ranks 50th of 186 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Unemployment rate for young people in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 11.08 | — |
| 1992 | 7.63 | -31.1% |
| 1993 | 8.26 | +8.1% |
| 1994 | 8.24 | -0.2% |
| 1995 | 11.64 | +41.3% |
| 1996 | 12.21 | +4.9% |
| 1997 | 11.84 | -3.0% |
| 1998 | 11.86 | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 13.6 | +14.6% |
| 2000 | 11.24 | -17.4% |
| 2001 | 13.81 | +22.9% |
| 2002 | 14.46 | +4.7% |
| 2003 | 15.05 | +4.1% |
| 2004 | 14.53 | -3.5% |
| 2005 | 15.52 | +6.8% |
| 2006 | 14.27 | -8.1% |
| 2007 | 11.07 | -22.4% |
| 2008 | 11.25 | +1.6% |
| 2009 | 18.36 | +63.3% |
| 2010 | 17.38 | -5.4% |
| 2011 | 22.04 | +26.8% |
| 2012 | 22.37 | +1.5% |
| 2013 | 21.56 | -3.6% |
| 2014 | 24.23 | +12.4% |
| 2015 | 22.36 | -7.7% |
| 2016 | 21.65 | -3.2% |
| 2017 | 20.74 | -4.2% |
| 2018 | 25.07 | +20.9% |
| 2019 | 31.19 | +24.4% |
| 2020 | 40.11 | +28.6% |
| 2021 | 39.2 | -2.3% |
| 2022 | 30.72 | -21.6% |
| 2023 | 24.31 | -20.9% |
| 2024 | 20.48 | -15.7% |
| 2025 | 19.95 | -2.6% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 19.95 is above the median for high income countries, which is 13.81, 1.4× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 19.95 is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 13.98, 1.4× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 10.71 | 7.63 | 13.6 | 9 |
| 2000s | 13.95 | 11.07 | 18.36 | 10 |
| 2010s | 22.86 | 17.38 | 31.19 | 10 |
| 2020s | 29.13 | 19.95 | 40.11 | 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 rate for young people in Costa Rica?
- Unemployment rate for young people in Costa Rica was 19.95 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest unemployment rate for young people recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 40.11 in 2020.
- What is the lowest unemployment rate for young people recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.63 in 1992.
- How does Costa Rica rank for unemployment rate for young people?
- Costa Rica ranks 50th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment rate for young people rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Unemployment rate for young people. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).