Costa Rica: Self-employment

The latest value from 2025 is 26.59 percent, a decline from 26.81 percent in 2024. In comparison, the world average is 38.92 percent, based on data from 176 countries. Historically, the average for Costa Rica from 1991 to 2025 is 29.61 percent. The minimum value, 26.59 percent, was reached in 2025 while the maximum of 33.35 percent was recorded in 1991. See the global rankings for that indicator or use the country comparator to compare trends over time.

Definition: Self-employed workers are those workers who, working on their own account or with one or a few partners or in cooperative, hold the type of jobs defined as a "self-employment jobs." i.e. jobs where the remuneration is directly dependent upon the profits derived from the goods and services produced. Self-employed workers include sub-categories of employers, own-account workers and members of producers' cooperatives and contributing family workers.