Labor force, total, per capita in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Labor force, total, per capita was 0.471 units per person in 2025. ▲ Rising
Labor force, total, per capita in Costa Rica, 1990–2025
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in units per person.
Analysis
The most recent figure for labor force, total, per capita in Costa Rica is 0.471 units per person, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.6% on the previous year and down 3.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force, total, per capita in Costa Rica peaked at 0.5068 units per person in 2019 and was at its lowest, 0.3594 units per person, in 1992.
That places Costa Rica 86th out of 186 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, total, per capita in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | units per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 0.3672 units per person | — |
| 1991 | 0.3631 units per person | -1.1% |
| 1992 | 0.3594 units per person | -1.0% |
| 1993 | 0.3673 units per person | +2.2% |
| 1994 | 0.3729 units per person | +1.5% |
| 1995 | 0.3823 units per person | +2.5% |
| 1996 | 0.3717 units per person | -2.8% |
| 1997 | 0.3894 units per person | +4.8% |
| 1998 | 0.4035 units per person | +3.6% |
| 1999 | 0.4073 units per person | +0.9% |
| 2000 | 0.4055 units per person | -0.4% |
| 2001 | 0.4188 units per person | +3.3% |
| 2002 | 0.4197 units per person | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 0.4259 units per person | +1.5% |
| 2004 | 0.4217 units per person | -1.0% |
| 2005 | 0.4432 units per person | +5.1% |
| 2006 | 0.4423 units per person | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 0.4518 units per person | +2.1% |
| 2008 | 0.4513 units per person | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 0.4513 units per person | -0.0% |
| 2010 | 0.445 units per person | -1.4% |
| 2011 | 0.4586 units per person | +3.1% |
| 2012 | 0.4897 units per person | +6.8% |
| 2013 | 0.4875 units per person | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 0.4945 units per person | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 0.4866 units per person | -1.6% |
| 2016 | 0.4648 units per person | -4.5% |
| 2017 | 0.4683 units per person | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 0.4887 units per person | +4.4% |
| 2019 | 0.5068 units per person | +3.7% |
| 2020 | 0.4806 units per person | -5.2% |
| 2021 | 0.4923 units per person | +2.4% |
| 2022 | 0.4929 units per person | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 0.4585 units per person | -7.0% |
| 2024 | 0.4684 units per person | +2.2% |
| 2025 | 0.471 units per person | +0.6% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 0.471 units per person is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.5147 units per person, 92% of the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 0.471 units per person is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 0.4785 units per person, 98% of the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.3784 units per person | 0.3594 units per person | 0.4073 units per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.4332 units per person | 0.4055 units per person | 0.4518 units per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.479 units per person | 0.445 units per person | 0.5068 units per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.4773 units per person | 0.4585 units per person | 0.4929 units per person | 6 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
- 83 Trinidad and Tobago 0.4765 units per person compare
- 84 Montenegro 0.476 units per person compare
- 85 Nicaragua 0.4737 units per person compare
- 87 El Salvador 0.4696 units per person compare
- 88 Botswana 0.4681 units per person compare
- 89 Mexico 0.4677 units per person compare
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, total, per capita in Costa Rica?
- Labor force, total, per capita in Costa Rica was 0.471 units per person in 2025, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest labor force, total, per capita recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 0.5068 units per person in 2019.
- What is the lowest labor force, total, per capita recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3594 units per person in 1992.
- How does Costa Rica rank for labor force, total, per capita?
- Costa Rica ranks 86th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor force, total, per capita rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Labor force, total, per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
Labor force, total divided by Population, total, matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
Labor force, total ÷ Population, total
Computed from
- Labor force, total International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database
- Population, total World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
Labor force, total divided by Population, total, matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.