Costa Rica’s unemployment rate declined to 7.0% in the second quarter of 2026, down from 7.4% in the same period a year earlier, and slightly lower than 7.1% in the previous quarter. Nationwide, the number of unemployed was estimated at 164,000 people, of whom 98,000 were men and 66,000 were women. The unemployment rate stood at 6.8% for men and 7.2% for women.
The labor force totaled 2.35 million people, comprising 1.43 million men and 921,000 women. The net labor force participation rate was 54.6% overall, broken down as 66.3% for men and 42.9% for women. Total employment rose to 2.18 million people, with an overall employment rate of 50.8%, including 61.7% for men and 39.8% for women.
Informal employment reached 785,000 people, consisting of 438,000 self-employed workers and 348,000 wage earners or unpaid family helpers.
