Costa Rica Unemployment Rate Rises in Q1 2026

Costa Rica’s unemployment rate rose to 7.1% in the first quarter of 2026, up from 6.3% in the previous quarter and little changed compared to the same period a year earlier. The unemployment rate stood at 6.4% for men and 8.1% for women. Nationwide, the number of unemployed people was estimated at 164,000, including 92,000 men and 72,000 women. Meanwhile, the share of employed people classified as underemployed was estimated at 3.3%. The number of workers employed in informal jobs reached 824,000.

The unemployment rate in Costa Rica fell to 6.3% in the fourth quarter of 2025, down from 6.9% in the same period a year earlier. The number of unemployed individuals declined by 17.7 thousand to 147.5 thousand. Meanwhile, the employment rate edged down to 51.1% from 52.8%, as the number of employed individuals decreased by 47.9 thousand to 2.18 million. At the same time, the labor force participation rate declined to 54.5%, down from 56.7%.

The unemployment rate in Costa Rica fell to 5.7% in the third quarter of 2025, down from 6.6% in the same period last year. It marked the lowest unemployment rate since the data began in 2010, as the number of unemployed individuals decreased by 24.6 thousand to 134.5 thousand. Meanwhile, the employment rate declined to 51.7%, down from 53.5%, with the number of employed individuals falling by 48.8 thousand to 2.21 million. At the same time, the labor force participation rate dropped to 54.9%, down from 57.3%.