Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) was 6.3% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Costa Rica, 1990–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Costa Rica stood at 6.3%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 8.6% on the previous year and down 24.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Costa Rica peaked at 16.4% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 3.9%, in 1992.
Costa Rica ranks 73rd of 187 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, total (% of total labor force) in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 4.5% | — |
| 1991 | 5.4% | +19.1% |
| 1992 | 3.9% | -26.9% |
| 1993 | 4.0% | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 4.0% | +2.3% |
| 1995 | 5.2% | +28.0% |
| 1996 | 6.2% | +19.0% |
| 1997 | 5.7% | -7.8% |
| 1998 | 5.3% | -6.2% |
| 1999 | 5.9% | +10.7% |
| 2000 | 5.1% | -13.8% |
| 2001 | 5.9% | +16.4% |
| 2002 | 6.3% | +7.1% |
| 2003 | 6.6% | +3.5% |
| 2004 | 6.4% | -2.5% |
| 2005 | 6.6% | +2.8% |
| 2006 | 5.7% | -12.6% |
| 2007 | 4.5% | -21.8% |
| 2008 | 4.8% | +6.5% |
| 2009 | 7.7% | +61.3% |
| 2010 | 7.2% | -7.0% |
| 2011 | 9.5% | +32.7% |
| 2012 | 9.1% | -4.3% |
| 2013 | 8.2% | -9.8% |
| 2014 | 8.5% | +3.4% |
| 2015 | 8.4% | -1.0% |
| 2016 | 8.1% | -3.9% |
| 2017 | 7.7% | -4.4% |
| 2018 | 9.0% | +16.6% |
| 2019 | 10.8% | +19.9% |
| 2020 | 16.4% | +52.0% |
| 2021 | 15.1% | -7.9% |
| 2022 | 11.3% | -25.2% |
| 2023 | 8.3% | -26.5% |
| 2024 | 6.9% | -16.7% |
| 2025 | 6.3% | -8.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5.0% | 3.9% | 6.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.0% | 4.5% | 7.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.7% | 7.2% | 10.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.7% | 6.3% | 16.4% | 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, total (% of total labor force) in Costa Rica?
- Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Costa Rica was 6.3% in 2025, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest unemployment, total (% of total labor force) recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 16.4% in 2020.
- What is the lowest unemployment, total (% of total labor force) recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.9% in 1992.
- How does Costa Rica rank for unemployment, total (% of total labor force)?
- Costa Rica ranks 73rd out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, total (% of total labor force) rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 24.6%. 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, total (% of total labor force) (national estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.