Employment by main economic activity - Regions in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Employment by main economic activity - Regions was 2.18 million Persons in 2025. ▲ Rising
Employment by main economic activity - Regions in Costa Rica, 1990–2025
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Persons.
Analysis
Costa Rica recorded 2.18 million Persons for employment by main economic activity - regions in 2025.
The figure is down 2.1% on the previous year and up 10.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment by main economic activity - regions in Costa Rica peaked at 2.23 million Persons in 2024 and was at its lowest, 1.04 million Persons, in 1991.
That places Costa Rica 32nd out of 43 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.
Employment by main economic activity - Regions in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | Persons | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 1.05 million Persons | — |
| 1991 | 1.04 million Persons | -1.0% |
| 1992 | 1.08 million Persons | +4.0% |
| 1993 | 1.13 million Persons | +5.2% |
| 1994 | 1.18 million Persons | +4.4% |
| 1995 | 1.22 million Persons | +3.4% |
| 1996 | 1.21 million Persons | -1.4% |
| 1997 | 1.30 million Persons | +7.5% |
| 1998 | 1.39 million Persons | +6.8% |
| 1999 | 1.40 million Persons | +0.9% |
| 2000 | 1.44 million Persons | +2.7% |
| 2001 | 1.52 million Persons | +5.8% |
| 2002 | 1.54 million Persons | +1.8% |
| 2003 | 1.60 million Persons | +3.3% |
| 2004 | 1.61 million Persons | +0.8% |
| 2005 | 1.71 million Persons | +6.2% |
| 2006 | 1.76 million Persons | +2.9% |
| 2007 | 1.85 million Persons | +5.1% |
| 2008 | 1.87 million Persons | +1.1% |
| 2009 | 1.84 million Persons | -1.5% |
| 2010 | 1.83 million Persons | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 1.78 million Persons | -2.7% |
| 2012 | 1.91 million Persons | +7.7% |
| 2013 | 1.95 million Persons | +2.0% |
| 2014 | 2.00 million Persons | +2.3% |
| 2015 | 1.99 million Persons | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 1.94 million Persons | -2.5% |
| 2017 | 1.98 million Persons | +2.2% |
| 2018 | 2.03 million Persons | +2.7% |
| 2019 | 2.08 million Persons | +2.3% |
| 2020 | 1.85 million Persons | -10.8% |
| 2021 | 1.95 million Persons | +5.5% |
| 2022 | 2.07 million Persons | +6.0% |
| 2023 | 2.08 million Persons | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 2.23 million Persons | +7.4% |
| 2025 | 2.18 million Persons | -2.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.20 million Persons | 1.04 million Persons | 1.40 million Persons | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.67 million Persons | 1.44 million Persons | 1.87 million Persons | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.95 million Persons | 1.78 million Persons | 2.08 million Persons | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.06 million Persons | 1.85 million Persons | 2.23 million Persons | 6 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
More economy & growth data for Costa Rica
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 2.74 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 3.3 Percent per annum (2029)
- Services, value added (current US$), annual growth rate 6.71 % change on previous year (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.6922 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), per capita 13,824 current US$ per person (2025)
- Services, value added (current LCU), annual growth rate 4.31 % change on previous year (2025)
- Services, value added (current LCU), per unit of GDP 348.53 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Services, value added (current LCU), per capita 6.96 million current LCU per person (2025)
- Services, value added (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 4.16 % change on previous year (2025)
- Services, value added (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.5269 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment by main economic activity - regions in Costa Rica?
- Employment by main economic activity - regions in Costa Rica was 2.18 million Persons in 2025, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest employment by main economic activity - regions recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 2.23 million Persons in 2024.
- What is the lowest employment by main economic activity - regions recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.04 million Persons in 1991.
- How does Costa Rica rank for employment by main economic activity - regions?
- Costa Rica ranks 32nd out of 43 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment by main economic activity - regions rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Employment by main economic activity - Regions. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
This dataset provides indicators on employment by 10 broad activities and labour utilisation, in large regions (TL2) and small regions (TL3). Data source and definition Employment data is collected from Eurostat for EU countries and via delegates of the OECD Working Party on Territorial Indicators (WPTI), as well as from national statistical offices' websites. Employment is measured at place of work. Labour utilisation is measured by the number of employment at place of work per capita, for total activity. See the Regional data sources. Definition of regions Regions are subnational units below national boundaries. OECD countries have two regional levels: large regions (territorial level 2 or TL2) and small regions (territorial level 3 or TL3). See the OECD Territorial grid. Use of economic data on small regions TL3 regions are grouped into typologies based on shared characteristics. For economic analysis, TL3 regions belonging to the same Functional Urban Area (FUA) with more than 250,000 inhabitants are aggregated into a single metropolitan region to reduce distortions from commuting. See the OECD Territorial Correspondence Table. Cite this dataset OECD Regions, Cities and Local Areas database http://oe.cd/geostats. Further information OECD Regions and Cities Statistical Atlas OECD Regions and Cities at a Glance For questions and/or comments, please email RegionStat@oecd.org.