Costa Rica vs Panama: Labor force, total

Costa Rica
2.43 million
in 2025
Panama
2.29 million
in 2025
Costa Rica rank
122nd
Panama rank
123rd

Labor force, total over time

  • Costa Rica
  • Panama
1.0M1.5M2.0M2.5M199020072025

How they compare

Costa Rica currently reports 2.43 million against 2.29 million in Panama, a difference of 139,650.

That makes Costa Rica's figure about 1.1 times Panama's.

Across all 36 years both countries report, Costa Rica has been ahead every year.

Globally, Costa Rica ranks 122nd and Panama ranks 123rd of 186 countries.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Labor force, total
Source
International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
234 places, 8,410 data points, 1990–2025
Last refreshed

Labor force comprises people ages 15 and older who supply labor for the production of goods and services during a specified period. It includes people who are currently employed and people who are unemployed but seeking work as well as first-time job-seekers. Not everyone who works is included, however. Unpaid workers, family workers, and students are often omitted, and some countries do not count members of the armed forces. Labor force size tends to vary during the year as seasonal workers enter and leave.