Unemployment rate in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Unemployment rate was 6.84 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
6.84
Change on year
down 1.3%
World rank
64th
of 186 countries
All-time high
16.43
in 2020
All-time low
3.93
in 1992
Years of data
35
1991–2025
Unemployment rate in Costa Rica, 1991–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for unemployment rate in Costa Rica is 6.84, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.3% on the previous year and down 18.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment rate in Costa Rica peaked at 16.43 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 3.93, in 1992.
Costa Rica ranks 64th 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 in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 5.37 | — |
| 1992 | 3.93 | -26.8% |
| 1993 | 3.95 | +0.5% |
| 1994 | 4.05 | +2.5% |
| 1995 | 5.18 | +27.9% |
| 1996 | 6.16 | +18.9% |
| 1997 | 5.68 | -7.8% |
| 1998 | 5.33 | -6.2% |
| 1999 | 5.9 | +10.7% |
| 2000 | 5.08 | -13.9% |
| 2001 | 6.05 | +19.1% |
| 2002 | 6.4 | +5.7% |
| 2003 | 6.65 | +4.0% |
| 2004 | 6.45 | -3.1% |
| 2005 | 6.75 | +4.7% |
| 2006 | 5.93 | -12.2% |
| 2007 | 4.56 | -23.1% |
| 2008 | 4.93 | +8.3% |
| 2009 | 7.82 | +58.6% |
| 2010 | 7.17 | -8.3% |
| 2011 | 9.52 | +32.7% |
| 2012 | 9.11 | -4.3% |
| 2013 | 8.22 | -9.8% |
| 2014 | 8.5 | +3.4% |
| 2015 | 8.41 | -1.0% |
| 2016 | 8.09 | -3.9% |
| 2017 | 7.73 | -4.4% |
| 2018 | 9.01 | +16.6% |
| 2019 | 10.81 | +19.9% |
| 2020 | 16.43 | +52.0% |
| 2021 | 15.14 | -7.9% |
| 2022 | 11.32 | -25.2% |
| 2023 | 8.32 | -26.5% |
| 2024 | 6.94 | -16.7% |
| 2025 | 6.84 | -1.3% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 6.84 is above the median for high income countries, which is 5.04, 1.4× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 6.84 is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 5.99, 1.1× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5.06 | 3.93 | 6.16 | 9 |
| 2000s | 6.06 | 4.56 | 7.82 | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.66 | 7.17 | 10.81 | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.83 | 6.84 | 16.43 | 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 in Costa Rica?
- Unemployment rate in Costa Rica was 6.84 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest unemployment rate recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 16.43 in 2020.
- What is the lowest unemployment rate recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.93 in 1992.
- How does Costa Rica rank for unemployment rate?
- Costa Rica ranks 64th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment rate rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.7%. 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. 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).