Costa Rica — Labor participation
Labor Force Participation Rate for Costa Rica, 1990–2025.
Labor participation for Costa Rica was 57.66% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 36 years, from 1990 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 64.33% in 2012. The lowest was 55.66% in 1992 (about 1.0× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 0.02% per year.
Costa Rica ranks 122 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 65%. The median for Latin America & Caribbean is 63.14%, so Costa Rica sits below it. It peaked in 2012 and has fallen 10% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved down 8%. Within Latin America & Caribbean it ranks 24 of 31 economies; Honduras (56.56%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was down 8% in 2023. That is 5% below this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
World ranking. Climbed: 125th of 187 in 1990 → 115th of 187 in 2000 → 114th of 187 in 2010 → 89th of 187 in 2020 → 121st of 182 in 2025.
Key figures
Full history — 1990 to 2025
| Year | % of population ages 15+ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 57.66% | -0.0 pp |
| 2024 | 57.69% | +0.9 pp |
| 2023 | 56.83% | -4.7 pp |
| 2022 | 61.49% | -0.3 pp |
| 2021 | 61.77% | +1.1 pp |
| 2020 | 60.63% | -3.6 pp |
| 2019 | 64.26% | +2.1 pp |
| 2018 | 62.21% | +2.4 pp |
| 2017 | 59.85% | +0.2 pp |
| 2016 | 59.69% | -3.1 pp |
| 2015 | 62.81% | -1.4 pp |
| 2014 | 64.19% | +0.5 pp |
| 2013 | 63.66% | -0.7 pp |
| 2012 | 64.33% | +3.7 pp |
| 2011 | 60.62% | +1.4 pp |
| 2010 | 59.21% | -1.3 pp |
| 2009 | 60.49% | -0.4 pp |
| 2008 | 60.91% | -0.5 pp |
| 2007 | 61.43% | +0.8 pp |
| 2006 | 60.65% | -0.7 pp |
| 2005 | 61.31% | +2.4 pp |
| 2004 | 58.87% | -1.2 pp |
| 2003 | 60.04% | +0.3 pp |
| 2002 | 59.76% | -0.5 pp |
| 2001 | 60.23% | +1.4 pp |
| 2000 | 58.87% | -0.8 pp |
| 1999 | 59.69% | +0.0 pp |
| 1998 | 59.69% | +1.6 pp |
| 1997 | 58.13% | +2.2 pp |
| 1996 | 55.97% | -2.1 pp |
| 1995 | 58.03% | +1.0 pp |
| 1994 | 57.02% | +0.5 pp |
| 1993 | 56.54% | +0.9 pp |
| 1992 | 55.66% | -0.8 pp |
| 1991 | 56.5% | -0.9 pp |
| 1990 | 57.35% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Costa Rica’s Labor participation in 1991?
56.5% (1991). The full year-by-year table above lists every published year, most recent first.
Are changes in this series measured in percentage points?
Yes. The series is a share expressed in % of population ages 15+, so year-over-year movements in the Change column are percentage points (pp), not percent.
Is Costa Rica’s Labor participation growing or shrinking?
Between 1990 and 2025 the series was growing overall: +0.5% in total.
Where does this data come from?
World Bank Open Data (CC BY-4.0), indicator SL.TLF.CACT.ZS. Values are reproduced as published; this page only computes summary statistics such as change, CAGR and extremes.
What are the most recent published figures?
The last five published years: 2025: 57.66%; 2024: 57.69%; 2023: 56.83%; 2022: 61.49%; 2021: 61.77%. Earlier years are in the full-history table below.
Related data
SL.TLF.CACT.ZS — Labor Force Participation Rate. Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Values are reproduced as published; this page computes the summary statistics (change, CAGR, extremes) from the underlying annual series. View the original dataset on data.worldbank.org.