Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) was 73.4% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Costa Rica, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Costa Rica is 73.4%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 4.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Costa Rica peaked at 73.4% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 66.7%, in 1991.
Costa Rica ranks 77th of 187 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.
Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 66.7% | — |
| 1992 | 68.9% | +3.4% |
| 1993 | 68.9% | -0.0% |
| 1994 | 68.9% | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 68.4% | -0.7% |
| 1996 | 68.2% | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 66.9% | -1.9% |
| 1998 | 67.9% | +1.6% |
| 1999 | 68.0% | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 68.2% | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 68.3% | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 67.8% | -0.8% |
| 2003 | 68.9% | +1.6% |
| 2004 | 68.1% | -1.1% |
| 2005 | 70.9% | +4.1% |
| 2006 | 70.1% | -1.1% |
| 2007 | 72.5% | +3.4% |
| 2008 | 72.3% | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 72.3% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 73.1% | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 73.2% | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 72.4% | -1.0% |
| 2013 | 69.8% | -3.6% |
| 2014 | 70.3% | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 70.6% | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 71.7% | +1.6% |
| 2017 | 71.8% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 71.6% | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 71.6% | -0.0% |
| 2020 | 71.2% | -0.5% |
| 2021 | 71.7% | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 72.4% | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 73.4% | +1.4% |
| 2024 | 73.2% | -0.3% |
| 2025 | 73.4% | +0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 68.1% | 66.7% | 68.9% | 9 |
| 2000s | 69.9% | 67.8% | 72.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 71.6% | 69.8% | 73.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 72.5% | 71.2% | 73.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
- 74 Trinidad and Tobago 74.3% compare
- 75 Libya 74.1% compare
- 76 Kazakhstan 73.9% compare
- 78 Saint Lucia 73.3% compare
- 79 Egypt 73.0% compare
- 80 Serbia 73.0% compare
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 wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Costa Rica?
- Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Costa Rica was 73.4% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 73.4% in 2025.
- What is the lowest wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 66.7% in 1991.
- How does Costa Rica rank for wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment)?
- Costa Rica ranks 77th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Wage and salaried workers (employees) are those workers who hold the type of jobs defined as "paid employment jobs," where the incumbents hold explicit (written or oral) or implicit employment contracts that give them a basic remuneration that is not directly dependent upon the revenue of the unit for which they work.