Average hourly earnings of employees in Costa Rica

Costa Rica: Average hourly earnings of employees was 9.73 international-$ in 2021 prices in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
9.73 international-$ in 2021 prices
Change on year
up 8.3%
World rank
25th
of 64 countries
All-time high
11.9 international-$ in 2021 prices
in 2020
All-time low
2.59 international-$ in 2021 prices
in 1990
Years of data
32
1990–2024

Average hourly earnings of employees in Costa Rica, 1990–2024

246810121990200720241990: 2.6 international-$ in 2021 prices1991: 2.7 international-$ in 2021 prices1992: 2.7 international-$ in 2021 prices1993: 3.3 international-$ in 2021 prices1994: 3.5 international-$ in 2021 prices1995: 3.4 international-$ in 2021 prices1996: 3.5 international-$ in 2021 prices1997: 3.7 international-$ in 2021 prices1998: 3.9 international-$ in 2021 prices1999: 4 international-$ in 2021 prices2000: 4.2 international-$ in 2021 prices2002: 3.9 international-$ in 2021 prices2003: 3.9 international-$ in 2021 prices2006: 3.9 international-$ in 2021 prices2007: 4.4 international-$ in 2021 prices2008: 5.7 international-$ in 2021 prices2009: 6.1 international-$ in 2021 prices2010: 5.6 international-$ in 2021 prices2011: 6.1 international-$ in 2021 prices2012: 6.5 international-$ in 2021 prices2013: 6.6 international-$ in 2021 prices2014: 6.8 international-$ in 2021 prices2015: 7.2 international-$ in 2021 prices2016: 7.5 international-$ in 2021 prices2017: 9.1 international-$ in 2021 prices2018: 8.8 international-$ in 2021 prices2019: 10.5 international-$ in 2021 prices2020: 11.9 international-$ in 2021 prices2021: 9.3 international-$ in 2021 prices2022: 8.7 international-$ in 2021 prices2023: 9 international-$ in 2021 prices2024: 9.7 international-$ in 2021 prices

Source: International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in international-$ in 2021 prices.

Analysis

In 2024, average hourly earnings of employees in Costa Rica stood at 9.73 international-$ in 2021 prices.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 8.3% on the previous year and up 44.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, average hourly earnings of employees in Costa Rica peaked at 11.9 international-$ in 2021 prices in 2020 and was at its lowest, 2.59 international-$ in 2021 prices, in 1990.

Costa Rica ranks 25th of 64 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 32 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 3.32 international-$ in 2021 prices 2.59 international-$ in 2021 prices 4.03 international-$ in 2021 prices 10
2000s 4.58 international-$ in 2021 prices 3.86 international-$ in 2021 prices 6.13 international-$ in 2021 prices 7
2010s 7.45 international-$ in 2021 prices 5.6 international-$ in 2021 prices 10.46 international-$ in 2021 prices 10
2020s 9.72 international-$ in 2021 prices 8.75 international-$ in 2021 prices 11.9 international-$ in 2021 prices 5

Countries ranked near Costa Rica

  1. 22 Panama 10.32 international-$ in 2021 prices compare
  2. 23 Malaysia 10.18 international-$ in 2021 prices compare
  3. 24 Bolivia 10.14 international-$ in 2021 prices compare
  4. 26 Greece 9.62 international-$ in 2021 prices compare
  5. 27 Thailand 8.35 international-$ in 2021 prices compare
  6. 28 Argentina 8.21 international-$ in 2021 prices compare

See the full ranking of 64 places →

More reference data data for Costa Rica

All data for Costa Rica →

Frequently asked questions

What is average hourly earnings of employees in Costa Rica?
Average hourly earnings of employees in Costa Rica was 9.73 international-$ in 2021 prices in 2024, according to International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest average hourly earnings of employees recorded in Costa Rica?
The highest recorded value was 11.9 international-$ in 2021 prices in 2020.
What is the lowest average hourly earnings of employees recorded in Costa Rica?
The lowest recorded value was 2.59 international-$ in 2021 prices in 1990.
How does Costa Rica rank for average hourly earnings of employees?
Costa Rica ranks 25th out of 64 countries with data for 2024.
Is average hourly earnings of employees rising or falling in Costa Rica?
Over the last ten years it is up 44.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
The figures come from International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Average hourly earnings of employees. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Average hourly earnings of employees
Unit
international-$ in 2021 prices
Source
International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
64 places, 923 data points, 1990–2025
Last refreshed

Gross remuneration for time worked or work done, vacation, and other types of paid leave.