Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas was 13.4% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Costa Rica, 1991–2023
Source: ILO via World Bank – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Costa Rica recorded 13.4% for share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Costa Rica peaked at 18.7% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 10.9%, in 2009.
That places Costa Rica 102nd out of 186 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.
Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 18.7% | — |
| 1992 | 18.6% | -0.7% |
| 1993 | 18.4% | -0.7% |
| 1994 | 18.1% | -2.0% |
| 1995 | 18.3% | +1.4% |
| 1996 | 18.2% | -0.8% |
| 1997 | 17.8% | -2.1% |
| 1998 | 17.6% | -1.2% |
| 1999 | 17.0% | -3.2% |
| 2000 | 16.6% | -2.2% |
| 2001 | 15.6% | -6.0% |
| 2002 | 15.9% | +1.7% |
| 2003 | 15.2% | -4.4% |
| 2004 | 14.9% | -2.2% |
| 2005 | 15.2% | +2.5% |
| 2006 | 14.0% | -7.9% |
| 2007 | 13.3% | -5.5% |
| 2008 | 12.4% | -6.6% |
| 2009 | 10.9% | -12.1% |
| 2010 | 12.4% | +13.4% |
| 2011 | 12.8% | +3.7% |
| 2012 | 13.3% | +3.7% |
| 2013 | 13.9% | +4.5% |
| 2014 | 14.2% | +2.0% |
| 2015 | 14.4% | +1.6% |
| 2016 | 14.9% | +3.8% |
| 2017 | 15.4% | +2.9% |
| 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% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 13.4% is above the median for high income countries, which is 2.6%, 5.1× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 13.4% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 12.0%, 1.1× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 18.1% | 17.0% | 18.7% | 9 |
| 2000s | 14.4% | 10.9% | 16.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.2% | 12.4% | 15.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 14.6% | 13.4% | 16.5% | 4 |
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 share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Costa Rica?
- Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Costa Rica was 13.4% in 2023, according to ILO via World Bank – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 18.7% in 1991.
- What is the lowest share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.9% in 2009.
- How does Costa Rica rank for share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas?
- Costa Rica ranks 102nd out of 186 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from ILO via World Bank – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 33 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The share of people employed in agriculture includes working-age people with a job in farming, forestry, fishing, and related activities, including those temporarily absent.