Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) was 17.4% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Costa Rica, 1990–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Costa Rica stood at 17.4%.
That represents a change of down 8.6% on the previous year and down 9.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Costa Rica peaked at 33.5% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 6.7%, in 1992.
That places Costa Rica 44th out of 157 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 7.6% | — |
| 1991 | 9.8% | +28.8% |
| 1992 | 6.7% | -31.7% |
| 1993 | 7.5% | +12.1% |
| 1994 | 6.8% | -9.4% |
| 1995 | 10.4% | +54.3% |
| 1996 | 10.2% | -2.4% |
| 1997 | 9.8% | -3.7% |
| 1998 | 9.1% | -6.9% |
| 1999 | 11.9% | +30.4% |
| 2000 | 9.3% | -21.8% |
| 2001 | 11.8% | +26.7% |
| 2002 | 12.4% | +4.9% |
| 2003 | 12.9% | +4.4% |
| 2004 | 12.3% | -5.4% |
| 2005 | 11.6% | -5.6% |
| 2006 | 10.6% | -8.3% |
| 2007 | 8.3% | -21.5% |
| 2008 | 9.8% | +17.4% |
| 2009 | 15.5% | +59.1% |
| 2010 | 14.8% | -5.1% |
| 2011 | 17.7% | +19.9% |
| 2012 | 19.1% | +7.8% |
| 2013 | 18.5% | -3.2% |
| 2014 | 20.3% | +10.2% |
| 2015 | 19.2% | -5.8% |
| 2016 | 17.4% | -9.0% |
| 2017 | 17.5% | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 20.9% | +19.4% |
| 2019 | 27.5% | +31.7% |
| 2020 | 33.5% | +21.8% |
| 2021 | 32.7% | -2.3% |
| 2022 | 25.8% | -21.1% |
| 2023 | 21.1% | -18.3% |
| 2024 | 19.0% | -9.8% |
| 2025 | 17.4% | -8.6% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 17.4% is above the median for high income countries, which is 14.2%, 1.2× the median. (68 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 17.4% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 12.7%, 1.4× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 9.0% | 6.7% | 11.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 11.5% | 8.3% | 15.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.3% | 14.8% | 27.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 24.9% | 17.4% | 33.5% | 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, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Costa Rica?
- Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Costa Rica was 17.4% in 2025, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 33.5% in 2020.
- What is the lowest unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.7% in 1992.
- How does Costa Rica rank for unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24)?
- Costa Rica ranks 44th out of 157 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.3%. 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, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) (national estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Youth unemployment refers to the share of the labor force ages 15-24 without work but available for and seeking employment. Definitions of labor force and unemployment differ by country.