Labor force with basic education in Costa Rica

Costa Rica: Labor force with basic education was 50.0% in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
50.0%
Change on year
down 5.2%
World rank
61st
of 123 countries
All-time high
62.4%
in 2012
All-time low
50.0%
in 2025
Years of data
25
2001–2025

Labor force with basic education in Costa Rica, 2001–2025

02040602001201320252001: 58.8 % of total working-age population with basic education2002: 58.7 % of total working-age population with basic education2003: 58.4 % of total working-age population with basic education2004: 56.7 % of total working-age population with basic education2005: 59.5 % of total working-age population with basic education2006: 58.7 % of total working-age population with basic education2007: 59.4 % of total working-age population with basic education2008: 60.3 % of total working-age population with basic education2009: 59.9 % of total working-age population with basic education2010: 56.8 % of total working-age population with basic education2011: 57.9 % of total working-age population with basic education2012: 62.4 % of total working-age population with basic education2013: 61.1 % of total working-age population with basic education2014: 61.3 % of total working-age population with basic education2015: 60.9 % of total working-age population with basic education2016: 56.7 % of total working-age population with basic education2017: 57.4 % of total working-age population with basic education2018: 60.4 % of total working-age population with basic education2019: 61.1 % of total working-age population with basic education2020: 57.6 % of total working-age population with basic education2021: 57.6 % of total working-age population with basic education2022: 57.6 % of total working-age population with basic education2023: 53.1 % of total working-age population with basic education2024: 52.7 % of total working-age population with basic education2025: 50 % of total working-age population with basic education

Source: Education and Mismatch Indicators database (EMI), International Labour Organization (ILO). Measured in % of total working-age population with basic education.

Analysis

Costa Rica recorded 50.0% for labor force with basic education in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

That represents a change of down 5.2% on the previous year and down 17.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, labor force with basic education in Costa Rica peaked at 62.4% in 2012 and was at its lowest, 50.0%, in 2025.

Costa Rica ranks 61st of 123 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 58.9% 56.7% 60.3% 9
2010s 59.6% 56.7% 62.4% 10
2020s 54.7% 50.0% 57.6% 6

Countries ranked near Costa Rica

  1. 58 Tunisia 50.5% compare
  2. 59 Netherlands 50.4% compare
  3. 60 Brazil 50.2% compare
  4. 62 Czechia 49.7% compare
  5. 63 Malawi 49.5% compare
  6. 64 Sri Lanka 48.9% compare

See the full ranking of 143 places →

More work & labour data for Costa Rica

All data for Costa Rica →

Frequently asked questions

What is labor force with basic education in Costa Rica?
Labor force with basic education in Costa Rica was 50.0% in 2025, according to Education and Mismatch Indicators database (EMI), International Labour Organization (ILO).
What is the highest labor force with basic education recorded in Costa Rica?
The highest recorded value was 62.4% in 2012.
What is the lowest labor force with basic education recorded in Costa Rica?
The lowest recorded value was 50.0% in 2025.
How does Costa Rica rank for labor force with basic education?
Costa Rica ranks 61st out of 123 countries with data for 2025.
Is labor force with basic education rising or falling in Costa Rica?
Over the last ten years it is down 17.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
The figures come from Education and Mismatch Indicators database (EMI), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Labor force with basic education (% of total working-age population with basic education). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Labor force with basic education (% of total working-age population with basic education)
Unit
% of total working-age population with basic education
Source
Education and Mismatch Indicators database (EMI), International Labour Organization (ILO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
143 places, 2,669 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

The ratio of the labor force with basic education to the working-age population with basic education. Basic education comprises primary education or lower secondary education according to the International Standard Classification of Education 2011 (ISCED 2011).