Costa Rica: Part time employment, female (% of total female employment)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2025, Costa Rica's part time employment, female (% of total female employment) fell 3.66 percentage points on 2024 (from 31.44% to 27.79%).

Across the 23 yearly changes before that (2002 to 2024), the average change was −0.64 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 4.51 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.7 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 5.8 percentage points in 2013 and the biggest yearly fall was 13.64 percentage points in 2010. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2016 to 2025 the straight-line trend is downward, about 0.88 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 36% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2025, Costa Rica had the 33rd highest value of the 45 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Costa Rica in the 2025 ranking

• Colombia — 30th of 45: 30.38%
• El Salvador — 31st of 45: 30.28%
• Italy — 32nd of 45: 27.93%
• North Macedonia — 34th of 45: 21.86%
• Serbia — 35th of 45: 21.38%
• Georgia — 36th of 45: 20.7%

What this measures

Part-time employment rate represents the percentage of employment that is part time. Part time employment in this series is based on a common definition of less than 35 actual weekly hours worked.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 25 values

Part time employment, female (% of total female employment) in nearby economies

• Argentina — 55.09% (2025)
• Bolivia — 50.77% (2025)
• Brazil — 32.01% (2025)
• Chile — 36.49% (2025)
• Colombia — 30.38% (2025)
• Dominican Republic — 34.04% (2025)
• Ecuador — 53.22% (2025)
• El Salvador — 30.28% (2025)
• Guatemala — 46.22% (2025)

More social protection & labor data for Costa Rica

• Net migration — 1,000 (2025)
• Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asylum — 36,395 (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) (national estimate) — 27.37% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) (national estimate) — 42.65% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) (national estimate) — 35.96% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15+) (national estimate) — 44.11% (2025)
• Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) (national estimate) — 65.13% (2025)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Costa Rica's part time employment, female (% of total female employment)?

27.79% in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2001?

It is down 18.29 percentage points from 46.08% in 2001. The highest value was 52.37% in 2003 and the lowest 27.79% in 2025.

How does Costa Rica rank?

33rd highest of 45 economies with data for 2025.

Is the latest change in part time employment, female (% of total female employment) unusual for Costa Rica?

In 2025, Costa Rica's part time employment, female (% of total female employment) fell 3.66 percentage points on 2024 (from 31.44% to 27.79%). Across the 23 yearly changes before that (2002 to 2024), the average change was −0.64 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 4.51 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.7 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SL.TLF.PART.FE.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Wages and Working Time Statistics database (COND), International Labour Organization (ILO), uri: https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/bulk/, publisher: ILOSTAT, type: external database, date accessed: September 28, 2026 Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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