Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) was 11.5% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Costa Rica, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Costa Rica stood at 11.5%. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.4% on the previous year and down 27.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Costa Rica peaked at 21.3% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 11.5%, in 2025.
Costa Rica ranks 103rd of 187 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 21.3% | — |
| 1992 | 20.1% | -5.9% |
| 1993 | 18.8% | -6.4% |
| 1994 | 17.6% | -6.2% |
| 1995 | 17.8% | +0.8% |
| 1996 | 17.5% | -1.6% |
| 1997 | 17.1% | -1.9% |
| 1998 | 16.7% | -2.4% |
| 1999 | 16.3% | -2.5% |
| 2000 | 16.9% | +4.0% |
| 2001 | 16.6% | -2.2% |
| 2002 | 16.8% | +1.7% |
| 2003 | 16.1% | -4.3% |
| 2004 | 15.8% | -2.1% |
| 2005 | 16.1% | +2.3% |
| 2006 | 14.9% | -7.8% |
| 2007 | 14.1% | -5.3% |
| 2008 | 13.2% | -6.5% |
| 2009 | 12.9% | -1.8% |
| 2010 | 14.6% | +12.8% |
| 2011 | 14.2% | -2.5% |
| 2012 | 13.6% | -4.3% |
| 2013 | 13.1% | -3.6% |
| 2014 | 14.7% | +12.0% |
| 2015 | 15.8% | +7.3% |
| 2016 | 15.7% | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 15.4% | -2.3% |
| 2018 | 15.8% | +2.7% |
| 2019 | 15.3% | -3.0% |
| 2020 | 16.5% | +8.1% |
| 2021 | 15.2% | -8.1% |
| 2022 | 13.4% | -11.8% |
| 2023 | 13.4% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 11.8% | -12.2% |
| 2025 | 11.5% | -2.4% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 11.5% is above the median for high income countries, which is 2.4%, 4.8× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 11.5% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 11.5%, 1.0× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 18.1% | 16.3% | 21.3% | 9 |
| 2000s | 15.3% | 12.9% | 16.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.8% | 13.1% | 15.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.6% | 11.5% | 16.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
More agriculture & rural data for Costa Rica
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 4.56 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0337 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 672.15 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -1.57 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.2027 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 3.4% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 3.4% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.1% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Costa Rica?
- Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Costa Rica was 11.5% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest employment in agriculture (% of total employment) recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 21.3% in 1991.
- What is the lowest employment in agriculture (% of total employment) recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.5% in 2025.
- How does Costa Rica rank for employment in agriculture (% of total employment)?
- Costa Rica ranks 103rd out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment in agriculture (% of total employment) rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 27.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Employment is defined as persons of working age who were engaged in any activity to produce goods or provide services for pay or profit, whether at work during the reference period or not at work due to temporary absence from a job, or to working-time arrangement. The agriculture sector consists of activities in agriculture, hunting, forestry and fishing, in accordance with division 1 (ISIC 2) or categories A-B (ISIC 3) or category A (ISIC 4).