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Unemployment rate in Costa Rica

How hard is it to have a job there?

Costa Rica's unemployment rate is 6.84 % — #85 of 124 countries on the atlas (lower is better). Period 2025.

6.84%

Checked 8 Sept 2026Period 2025

Source: World Bank open data (GDP growth, GDP/capita, unemployment, government debt)

Unemployment rate in Costa Rica over time

16.43 %10.49 %4.56 %16.43 % · 20204.56 % · 20072000: 5.08 %2001: 6.05 %2002: 6.40 %2003: 6.65 %2004: 6.45 %2005: 6.75 %2006: 5.93 %2007: 4.56 %2008: 4.93 %2009: 7.82 %2010: 7.17 %2011: 9.52 %2012: 9.11 %2013: 8.22 %2014: 8.50 %2015: 8.41 %2016: 8.09 %2017: 7.73 %2018: 9.01 %2019: 10.81 %2020: 16.43 %2021: 15.14 %2022: 11.32 %2023: 8.32 %2024: 6.94 %2025: 6.84 %2000201220256.84 %
26 official observations, 2000 → 2025. Every point is a published value — never interpolated.
Rank
#85 of 124
lower is better
Ranked behind
31 %
39 of 124 countries
Latest move
▼ 0.09 pp
since 2024
Below its peak
9.59 pp
peak 16.43 % in 2020
Full series
▲ 1.76 pp
since 2000

In Americas: #16 of 27vs median 5.25 %: +1.59 pp (worse)

Among 124 countries

6 of 124 countries between 0.78 % and 1.53 %6 of 124 countries between 1.53 % and 2.28 %12 of 124 countries between 2.28 % and 3.03 %16 of 124 countries between 3.03 % and 3.78 %7 of 124 countries between 3.78 % and 4.53 %15 of 124 countries between 4.53 % and 5.28 %14 of 124 countries between 5.28 % and 6.02 %7 of 124 countries between 6.02 % and 6.77 %6 of 124 countries between 6.77 % and 7.52 %2 of 124 countries between 7.52 % and 8.27 %10 of 124 countries between 8.27 % and 9.02 %3 of 124 countries between 9.02 % and 9.77 %3 of 124 countries between 9.77 % and 10.52 %2 of 124 countries between 10.52 % and 11.27 %3 of 124 countries between 11.27 % and 12.02 %1 of 124 countries between 12.02 % and 12.77 %1 of 124 countries between 12.77 % and 13.51 %2 of 124 countries between 13.51 % and 14.26 %1 of 124 countries between 14.26 % and 15.01 %2 of 124 countries between 15.01 % and 15.76 %1 of 124 countries between 16.51 % and 17.26 %4 of 124 countries between 18.01 % and 18.76 %median 5.23 %Costa Rica: ahead of 31 % of the 124 countries with a published unemploymentCosta Rica 6.84 %0.78 %18.76 %
Half of all 124 countries sit between 3.30 % and 8.30 %. Costa Rica is ahead of 31 % of them. Axis trimmed to the 2nd–98th percentile; 5 values beyond it sit in the end bars.

The neighbourhood

#CountryUnemploymentvs Costa Rica
83 Lithuania6.73 %−0.11 pp
84 Egypt6.78 %−0.06 pp
85 Costa Rica6.84 %—
86 Canada6.91 %+0.06 pp
87 Tajikistan6.93 %+0.09 pp

Unemployment, share of the labour force (World Bank / ILO estimate).

How to read this figure

Share of the labour force without work but actively seeking it (World Bank / ILO harmonised estimate). People outside the labour force — students, carers, the discouraged — are not counted.

Next, about Costa Rica

Average monthly salaryGDP growthGDP per capita
Unemployment rate, all countries ranked →Compare Costa Rica with another country →Everything about Costa Rica →
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