Share of Self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Share of Self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment was 22.18 % in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of Self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment in Costa Rica, 2001–2025
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, share of self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment in Costa Rica stood at 22.18 %. That is the lowest value across all 18 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 9.5% on the previous year and down 12.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment in Costa Rica peaked at 29.36 % in 2004 and was at its lowest, 22.18 %, in 2025.
Costa Rica ranks 42nd of 68 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 18 years of available data.
Share of Self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 28.64 % | — |
| 2002 | 29.11 % | +1.6% |
| 2003 | 28.83 % | -1.0% |
| 2004 | 29.36 % | +1.8% |
| 2005 | 26.72 % | -9.0% |
| 2006 | 26.1 % | -2.3% |
| 2007 | 23.81 % | -8.8% |
| 2008 | 24.53 % | +3.0% |
| 2009 | 25.19 % | +2.7% |
| 2017 | 25.27 % | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 27.78 % | +9.9% |
| 2019 | 28.73 % | +3.4% |
| 2020 | 28.78 % | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 28.49 % | -1.0% |
| 2022 | 27.89 % | -2.1% |
| 2023 | 24.48 % | -12.2% |
| 2024 | 24.5 % | +0.1% |
| 2025 | 22.18 % | -9.5% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 22.18 % is above the median for high income countries, which is 11.55 %, 1.9× the median. (19 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 22.18 % is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 30.13 %, 74% of the median. (17 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 26.92 % | 23.81 % | 29.36 % | 9 |
| 2010s | 27.26 % | 25.27 % | 28.73 % | 3 |
| 2020s | 26.05 % | 22.18 % | 28.78 % | 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)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 466.29 million BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0045 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 90.49 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 5.59 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual 3.39 % change on previous year (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0543 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 1,084 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate 20.52 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment in Costa Rica?
- Share of self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment in Costa Rica was 22.18 % in 2025, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest share of self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 29.36 % in 2004.
- What is the lowest share of self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 22.18 % in 2025.
- How does Costa Rica rank for share of self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment?
- Costa Rica ranks 42nd out of 68 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Share of Self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment in [industry] by [sex]: Total employment — Value — Female — All age ranges or no breakdown by age — National. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The Suite of Gender Indicators presents a set of indicators relevant to agrifood systems that are disaggregated by sex, with the aim of highlighting gender differences across agrifood systems. The initial set of indicators is based on those used in FAO’s 2023 Status of Women in Agrifood Systems (SWAFS) report and on the recommendations of an expert consultation held in December 2023, and covers key dimensions including economic participation, governance, agency, social norms, assets and services, education, health, and nutrition. Indicator selection was informed by expert judgment and by the availability of data with sufficient geographic and temporal coverage to enable meaningful comparisons across regions and over time. While most indicators are produced and published by FAO and other international organizations, the objective of this domain is to provide a one-stop shop for sex-disaggregated data on agrifood systems.