The unemployment rate in Costa Rica fell to 7.0% in the second quarter of 2026 from 7.4% in the same period a year earlier, but little changed from 7.1% in the previous quarter. Nationwide, the number of unemployed people was estimated at 164,000, including 98,000 men and 66,000 women. The unemployment rate was 6.8% for men and 7.2% for women. The labor force stood at 2.35 million, comprising 1.43 million men and 921,000 women, while the net labor force participation rate was 54.6%, at 66.3% for men and 42.9% for women. Employment rose to 2.18 million, with the employment rate at 50.8%, compared with 61.7% for men and 39.8% for women. Informal employment totaled 785,000, including 438,000 self-employed workers and 348,000 wage earners or family helpers. source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos de Costa Rica
Unemployment Rate in Costa Rica decreased to 7 percent in the second quarter of 2026 from 7.10 percent in the first quarter of 2026. Unemployment Rate in Costa Rica averaged 10.57 percent from 2010 until 2026, reaching an all time high of 24.00 percent in the second quarter of 2020 and a record low of 5.70 percent in the third quarter of 2025. This page provides - Costa Rica Unemployment Rate - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news. Costa Rica Unemployment Rate - data, historical chart, forecasts and calendar of releases - was last updated on October of 2026.
Unemployment Rate in Costa Rica decreased to 7 percent in the second quarter of 2026 from 7.10 percent in the first quarter of 2026. Unemployment Rate in Costa Rica is expected to be 7.50 percent by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. In the long-term, the Costa Rica Unemployment Rate is projected to trend around 7.90 percent in 2027 and 7.80 percent in 2028, according to our econometric models.