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Costa Rica Unemployment Rate

Costa Rica's unemployment rate fell to 7.4% in the second quarter of 2025 from 7.5% in the first quarter. This decrease occurred as the labor force participation rate declined to 54.7% and the employment rate fell to 50.66%. Costa Rica's GDP grew by 3.9% year-on-year in both Q1 and Q2 2025, a slower pace than in prior periods. Costa Rica's record low unemployment rate was 6.6% in Q3 2024 and record high was 24% in Q2 2020.

Quarterly Historical Data (2015-2025)

(in %)
Quarter Unemployment Rate
Q2 2025 7.4%
Q1 2025 7.5%
Q4 2024 6.9%
Q3 2024 6.6%
Q2 2024 8.5%
Q1 2024 7.8%
Q4 2023 7.3%
Q3 2023 8.1%
Q2 2023 9.6%
Q1 2023 10.6%
Q4 2022 11.7%
Q3 2022 12%
Q2 2022 11.7%
Q1 2022 13.6%
Q4 2021 13.7%
Q3 2021 15.3%
Q2 2021 18.1%
Q1 2021 18.7%
Q4 2020 20%
Q3 2020 22%
Q2 2020 24%
Q1 2020 12.5%
Q4 2019 12.4%
Q3 2019 11.4%
Q2 2019 11.9%
Q1 2019 11.3%
Q4 2018 12%
Q3 2018 10.2%
Q2 2018 8.7%
Q1 2018 10.3%
Q4 2017 9.3%
Q3 2017 9.4%
Q2 2017 8.5%
Q1 2017 9.1%
Q4 2016 9.5%
Q3 2016 9.7%
Q2 2016 9.4%
Q1 2016 9.5%
Q4 2015 9.6%
Q3 2015 9.2%

Recent Events

datetime event actual previous consensus
2025-09-18 11:20 PM Unemployment Rate (Q2) 7.4% 7.5% -
Costa Rica Unemployment Rate : Definition
The unemployment rate shows the percentage of the labor force that is jobless and actively seeking work. Costa Rica's National Institute of Statistics and Censuses calculates it by dividing the number of unemployed persons by the total labor force which includes both employed and unemployed individuals and then multiplying the result by 100.