Trade union density in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Trade union density was 22.4 Percentage of employees in 2024. ▲ Rising
Trade union density in Costa Rica, 1990–2024
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage of employees.
Analysis
In 2024, trade union density in Costa Rica stood at 22.4 Percentage of employees.
The figure is down 1.3% on the previous year and up 80.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, trade union density in Costa Rica peaked at 23 Percentage of employees in 2020 and was at its lowest, 11.5 Percentage of employees, in 2007.
That places Costa Rica 11th out of 31 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Trade union density in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | Percentage of employees | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 20.3 Percentage of employees | — |
| 1991 | 20.9 Percentage of employees | +3.0% |
| 1992 | 20.1 Percentage of employees | -3.8% |
| 1993 | 18.8 Percentage of employees | -6.5% |
| 1994 | 18.8 Percentage of employees | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 18.9 Percentage of employees | +0.5% |
| 1996 | 18.5 Percentage of employees | -2.1% |
| 1997 | 16.1 Percentage of employees | -13.0% |
| 1998 | 13.2 Percentage of employees | -18.0% |
| 1999 | 15.3 Percentage of employees | +15.9% |
| 2000 | 14.3 Percentage of employees | -6.5% |
| 2001 | 13.5 Percentage of employees | -5.6% |
| 2002 | 14.3 Percentage of employees | +5.9% |
| 2003 | 14.5 Percentage of employees | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 13.9 Percentage of employees | -4.1% |
| 2005 | 13.3 Percentage of employees | -4.3% |
| 2006 | 12.9 Percentage of employees | -3.0% |
| 2007 | 11.5 Percentage of employees | -10.9% |
| 2008 | 12 Percentage of employees | +4.3% |
| 2009 | 13 Percentage of employees | +8.3% |
| 2010 | 12.9 Percentage of employees | -0.8% |
| 2011 | 13.4 Percentage of employees | +3.9% |
| 2012 | 13.1 Percentage of employees | -2.2% |
| 2013 | 13.7 Percentage of employees | +4.6% |
| 2014 | 12.4 Percentage of employees | -9.5% |
| 2015 | 18.6 Percentage of employees | +50.0% |
| 2016 | 19.3 Percentage of employees | +3.8% |
| 2017 | 19.3 Percentage of employees | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 19.4 Percentage of employees | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 20.5 Percentage of employees | +5.7% |
| 2020 | 23 Percentage of employees | +12.2% |
| 2021 | 21.8 Percentage of employees | -5.2% |
| 2022 | 21 Percentage of employees | -3.7% |
| 2023 | 22.7 Percentage of employees | +8.1% |
| 2024 | 22.4 Percentage of employees | -1.3% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 22.4 Percentage of employees is above the median for high income countries, which is 20.3 Percentage of employees, 1.1× the median. (27 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Trade union density in Costa Rica changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | +50.0% | 12.4 Percentage of employees | 18.6 Percentage of employees |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 18.09 Percentage of employees | 13.2 Percentage of employees | 20.9 Percentage of employees | 10 |
| 2000s | 13.32 Percentage of employees | 11.5 Percentage of employees | 14.5 Percentage of employees | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.26 Percentage of employees | 12.4 Percentage of employees | 20.5 Percentage of employees | 10 |
| 2020s | 22.18 Percentage of employees | 21 Percentage of employees | 23 Percentage of employees | 5 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
- 8 Luxembourg 29.7 Percentage of employees compare
- 9 Canada 28.3 Percentage of employees compare
- 10 Israel 27.2 Percentage of employees compare
- 12 Ireland 22.2 Percentage of employees compare
- 13 United Kingdom 22 Percentage of employees compare
- 14 New Zealand 20.3 Percentage of employees compare
More economy & growth data for Costa Rica
- Real gdp growth, annual growth rate 11.68 % change on previous year (2025)
- 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)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, annual growth rate 4.39 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0058 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per capita 115.71 units per person (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, annual growth rate -0.5968 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per unit of GDP 0.0042 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per capita 84.49 units per person (2025)
- IMF holdings of currency, US dollar, annual growth rate -3.68 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is trade union density in Costa Rica?
- Trade union density in Costa Rica was 22.4 Percentage of employees in 2024, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest trade union density recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 23 Percentage of employees in 2020.
- What is the lowest trade union density recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.5 Percentage of employees in 2007.
- How does Costa Rica rank for trade union density?
- Costa Rica ranks 11th out of 31 countries with data for 2024.
- Is trade union density rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 80.6%. 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 Trade union density. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The database on Institutional Characteristics of Trade Unions, Wage Setting, State Intervention and Social Pacts (ICTWSS) was developed by Prof. Jelle Visser at the University of Amsterdam. It was first released in May 2007. In its initial form, the ICTWSS database combined data from various sources and projects with a main focus on trade union in EU and OECD countries, collective bargaining and employment relations in Europe, and social pacts. In 2021, the ICTWSS database was rebranded as the OECD/AIAS ICTWSS database to reflect the joint effort by the OECD and AIAS-HSI to ensure the continuation of the database following Prof. Visser’s retirement. The OECD/AIAS ICTWSS database is publicly available at: http://www.oecd.org/employment/ictwss-database.htm