Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) was 6.2% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Costa Rica, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Costa Rica recorded 6.2% for unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in 2025.
That represents a change of down 2.5% on the previous year and down 12.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Costa Rica peaked at 13.2% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 3.2%, in 2007.
Costa Rica ranks 67th 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.
Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 4.6% | — |
| 1992 | 3.4% | -27.9% |
| 1993 | 3.5% | +4.7% |
| 1994 | 3.4% | -3.8% |
| 1995 | 4.6% | +35.7% |
| 1996 | 5.2% | +14.4% |
| 1997 | 4.9% | -6.7% |
| 1998 | 4.2% | -13.9% |
| 1999 | 4.9% | +15.6% |
| 2000 | 4.3% | -11.5% |
| 2001 | 5.2% | +20.5% |
| 2002 | 5.6% | +7.7% |
| 2003 | 5.8% | +3.9% |
| 2004 | 5.4% | -7.4% |
| 2005 | 5.0% | -7.1% |
| 2006 | 4.3% | -13.1% |
| 2007 | 3.2% | -25.9% |
| 2008 | 4.1% | +28.7% |
| 2009 | 6.6% | +58.6% |
| 2010 | 6.0% | -8.8% |
| 2011 | 8.0% | +33.6% |
| 2012 | 7.9% | -0.8% |
| 2013 | 7.2% | -9.6% |
| 2014 | 7.1% | -0.5% |
| 2015 | 7.1% | -0.5% |
| 2016 | 6.8% | -4.9% |
| 2017 | 6.5% | -4.4% |
| 2018 | 7.4% | +14.9% |
| 2019 | 8.5% | +14.2% |
| 2020 | 13.2% | +55.3% |
| 2021 | 11.7% | -11.3% |
| 2022 | 8.6% | -26.3% |
| 2023 | 7.1% | -17.6% |
| 2024 | 6.4% | -10.3% |
| 2025 | 6.2% | -2.5% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 6.2% is above the median for high income countries, which is 4.9%, 1.3× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 6.2% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 5.7%, 1.1× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 4.3% | 3.4% | 5.2% | 9 |
| 2000s | 5.0% | 3.2% | 6.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.2% | 6.0% | 8.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.8% | 6.2% | 13.2% | 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 unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Costa Rica?
- Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Costa Rica was 6.2% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest unemployment, male (% of male labor force) recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 13.2% in 2020.
- What is the lowest unemployment, male (% of male labor force) recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.2% in 2007.
- How does Costa Rica rank for unemployment, male (% of male labor force)?
- Costa Rica ranks 67th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, male (% of male labor force) rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.7%. 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 Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Unemployment refers to the share of the labor force that is without work but available for and seeking employment.