Labor force, female (% of total labor force) in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Labor force, female (% of total labor force) was 40.7% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Labor force, female in Costa Rica, 1990–2025
Source: International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database. Measured in % of total labor force.
Analysis
In 2025, labor force, female in Costa Rica stood at 40.7%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 0.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force, female in Costa Rica peaked at 41.8% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 28.9%, in 1990.
That places Costa Rica 134th out of 187 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.
Labor force, female (% of total labor force) in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 28.9% | — |
| 1991 | 29.7% | +3.0% |
| 1992 | 29.6% | -0.6% |
| 1993 | 30.0% | +1.4% |
| 1994 | 30.8% | +2.7% |
| 1995 | 31.1% | +1.0% |
| 1996 | 30.9% | -0.6% |
| 1997 | 32.5% | +5.1% |
| 1998 | 33.7% | +3.6% |
| 1999 | 34.1% | +1.3% |
| 2000 | 33.5% | -1.8% |
| 2001 | 35.2% | +5.2% |
| 2002 | 35.1% | -0.2% |
| 2003 | 35.2% | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 34.5% | -2.0% |
| 2005 | 36.3% | +5.3% |
| 2006 | 36.4% | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 36.8% | +1.0% |
| 2008 | 37.2% | +1.2% |
| 2009 | 37.8% | +1.6% |
| 2010 | 38.0% | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 39.1% | +2.9% |
| 2012 | 40.8% | +4.3% |
| 2013 | 41.0% | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 40.8% | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 40.6% | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 39.3% | -3.3% |
| 2017 | 39.1% | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 39.8% | +2.0% |
| 2019 | 41.8% | +4.9% |
| 2020 | 40.9% | -2.2% |
| 2021 | 41.5% | +1.4% |
| 2022 | 41.7% | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 39.5% | -5.1% |
| 2024 | 40.6% | +2.7% |
| 2025 | 40.7% | +0.1% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 40.7% is below the median for high income countries, which is 46.5%, 87% of the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 40.7% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 42.4%, 96% of the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 31.1% | 28.9% | 34.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 35.8% | 33.5% | 37.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 40.0% | 38.0% | 41.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 40.8% | 39.5% | 41.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
More education data for Costa Rica
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 37,015 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 14,772 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 62,694 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 61,047 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 464,490 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 460,126 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -3.03 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0897 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labor force, female in Costa Rica?
- Labor force, female in Costa Rica was 40.7% in 2025, according to International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database.
- What is the highest labor force, female recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 41.8% in 2019.
- What is the lowest labor force, female recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 28.9% in 1990.
- How does Costa Rica rank for labor force, female?
- Costa Rica ranks 134th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor force, female rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database, published as part of Labor force, female (% of total labor force). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Female labor force as a percentage of the total show the extent to which women are active in the labor force. Labor force comprises people ages 15 and older who supply labor for the production of goods and services during a specified period.