Costa Rica — Unemployment
Unemployment Rate for Costa Rica, 1991–2025.
Unemployment for Costa Rica was 6.84% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 35 years, from 1991 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 16.43% in 2020. The lowest was 3.93% in 1992 (about 1.7× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 0.72% per year.
Costa Rica ranks 64 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 34%. The median for Latin America & Caribbean is 5.99%, so Costa Rica sits above it. It peaked in 2020 and has fallen 58% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved down 19%. Within Latin America & Caribbean it ranks 14 of 31 economies; Barbados (6.52%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 59% in 2009. That is 31% below this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
From its 1991 level: doubled by 2019. Doubling roughly every 97 years at that pace.
World ranking. Climbed: 99th of 187 in 1991 → 117th of 187 in 2000 → 89th of 187 in 2010 → 21st of 187 in 2020 → 59th of 182 in 2025.
Key figures
Full history — 1991 to 2025
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 6.84% | -0.1 pp |
| 2024 | 6.94% | -1.4 pp |
| 2023 | 8.32% | -3.0 pp |
| 2022 | 11.33% | -3.8 pp |
| 2021 | 15.14% | -1.3 pp |
| 2020 | 16.43% | +5.6 pp |
| 2019 | 10.81% | +1.8 pp |
| 2018 | 9.01% | +1.3 pp |
| 2017 | 7.73% | -0.4 pp |
| 2016 | 8.09% | -0.3 pp |
| 2015 | 8.41% | -0.1 pp |
| 2014 | 8.5% | +0.3 pp |
| 2013 | 8.22% | -0.9 pp |
| 2012 | 9.11% | -0.4 pp |
| 2011 | 9.52% | +2.3 pp |
| 2010 | 7.17% | -0.7 pp |
| 2009 | 7.82% | +2.9 pp |
| 2008 | 4.93% | +0.4 pp |
| 2007 | 4.56% | -1.4 pp |
| 2006 | 5.93% | -0.8 pp |
| 2005 | 6.75% | +0.3 pp |
| 2004 | 6.45% | -0.2 pp |
| 2003 | 6.65% | +0.3 pp |
| 2002 | 6.4% | +0.3 pp |
| 2001 | 6.05% | +1.0 pp |
| 2000 | 5.08% | -0.8 pp |
| 1999 | 5.9% | +0.6 pp |
| 1998 | 5.33% | -0.3 pp |
| 1997 | 5.68% | -0.5 pp |
| 1996 | 6.16% | +1.0 pp |
| 1995 | 5.18% | +1.1 pp |
| 1994 | 4.05% | +0.1 pp |
| 1993 | 3.95% | +0.0 pp |
| 1992 | 3.93% | -1.4 pp |
| 1991 | 5.37% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Costa Rica’s Unemployment in 1992?
3.93% (1992). 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 total labor force, so year-over-year movements in the Change column are percentage points (pp), not percent.
Is Costa Rica’s Unemployment growing or shrinking?
Between 1991 and 2025 the series was growing overall: +27.4% in total — about 0.7% a year compounded.
Where does this data come from?
World Bank Open Data (CC BY-4.0), indicator SL.UEM.TOTL.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: 6.84%; 2024: 6.94%; 2023: 8.32%; 2022: 11.33%; 2021: 15.14%. Earlier years are in the full-history table below.
Related data
SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS — Unemployment 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.