Share of agriculture in total employment in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Share of agriculture in total employment was 13.7% in 2011. ▼ Falling
Latest (2011)
13.7%
Change on year
down 7.4%
World rank
23rd
of 44 countries
All-time high
58.4%
in 1952
All-time low
11.8%
in 2009
Years of data
62
1950–2011
Share of agriculture in total employment in Costa Rica, 1950–2011
Source: Herrendorf et al. and Groningen Growth and Development Centre (2015) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Costa Rica recorded 13.7% for share of agriculture in total employment in 2011.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 7.4% on the previous year and down 19.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of agriculture in total employment in Costa Rica peaked at 58.4% in 1952 and was at its lowest, 11.8%, in 2009.
That places Costa Rica 23rd out of 44 countries with data for 2011, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 62 years of available data.
Share of agriculture in total employment in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 56.8% | — |
| 1951 | 58.3% | +2.6% |
| 1952 | 58.4% | +0.2% |
| 1953 | 54.8% | -6.2% |
| 1954 | 54.1% | -1.3% |
| 1955 | 51.3% | -5.2% |
| 1956 | 49.1% | -4.3% |
| 1957 | 51.1% | +4.1% |
| 1958 | 51.2% | +0.2% |
| 1959 | 51.4% | +0.4% |
| 1960 | 50.8% | -1.2% |
| 1961 | 51.3% | +1.0% |
| 1962 | 50.7% | -1.2% |
| 1963 | 49.9% | -1.6% |
| 1964 | 49.4% | -1.0% |
| 1965 | 47.1% | -4.7% |
| 1966 | 46.0% | -2.3% |
| 1967 | 45.7% | -0.7% |
| 1968 | 44.6% | -2.4% |
| 1969 | 43.3% | -2.9% |
| 1970 | 41.7% | -3.7% |
| 1971 | 40.0% | -4.1% |
| 1972 | 38.0% | -5.0% |
| 1973 | 36.4% | -4.2% |
| 1974 | 34.9% | -4.1% |
| 1975 | 34.5% | -1.1% |
| 1976 | 33.3% | -3.5% |
| 1977 | 31.6% | -5.1% |
| 1978 | 30.6% | -3.2% |
| 1979 | 29.5% | -3.6% |
| 1980 | 29.5% | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 30.4% | +3.1% |
| 1982 | 35.2% | +15.8% |
| 1983 | 33.4% | -5.1% |
| 1984 | 35.0% | +4.8% |
| 1985 | 30.9% | -11.7% |
| 1986 | 30.0% | -2.9% |
| 1987 | 31.8% | +6.0% |
| 1988 | 31.6% | -0.6% |
| 1989 | 29.7% | -6.0% |
| 1990 | 28.8% | -3.0% |
| 1991 | 27.1% | -5.9% |
| 1992 | 25.6% | -5.5% |
| 1993 | 24.1% | -5.9% |
| 1994 | 22.7% | -5.8% |
| 1995 | 22.8% | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 21.8% | -4.4% |
| 1997 | 21.1% | -3.2% |
| 1998 | 20.9% | -0.9% |
| 1999 | 19.6% | -6.2% |
| 2000 | 19.4% | -1.0% |
| 2001 | 17.0% | -12.4% |
| 2002 | 17.1% | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 16.2% | -5.3% |
| 2004 | 15.7% | -3.1% |
| 2005 | 16.0% | +1.9% |
| 2006 | 14.5% | -9.4% |
| 2007 | 13.6% | -6.2% |
| 2008 | 12.5% | -8.1% |
| 2009 | 11.8% | -5.6% |
| 2010 | 14.8% | +25.4% |
| 2011 | 13.7% | -7.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 53.6% | 49.1% | 58.4% | 10 |
| 1960s | 47.9% | 43.3% | 51.3% | 10 |
| 1970s | 35.0% | 29.5% | 41.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 31.8% | 29.5% | 35.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 23.4% | 19.6% | 28.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 15.4% | 11.8% | 19.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.2% | 13.7% | 14.8% | 2 |
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 agriculture in total employment in Costa Rica?
- Share of agriculture in total employment in Costa Rica was 13.7% in 2011, according to Herrendorf et al. and Groningen Growth and Development Centre (2015) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of agriculture in total employment recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 58.4% in 1952.
- What is the lowest share of agriculture in total employment recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.8% in 2009.
- How does Costa Rica rank for share of agriculture in total employment?
- Costa Rica ranks 23rd out of 44 countries with data for 2011.
- Is share of agriculture in total employment rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from Herrendorf et al. and Groningen Growth and Development Centre (2015) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of agriculture in total employment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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