Public sector wage premium in Costa Rica

Costa Rica: Public sector wage premium was 0.3315 compared to formal wage employees in 2021. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2021)
0.3315 compared to formal wage employees
World rank
8th
of 54 countries
All-time high
0.477 compared to formal wage employees
in 2017
All-time low
0.0866 compared to formal wage employees
in 2003
Years of data
16
2000–2021

Public sector wage premium in Costa Rica, 2000–2021

0.10.20.30.40.52000201020212000: 0.1 compared to formal wage employees2001: 0.106 compared to formal wage employees2002: 0.126 compared to formal wage employees2003: 0.087 compared to formal wage employees2004: 0.096 compared to formal wage employees2005: 0.121 compared to formal wage employees2006: 0.088 compared to formal wage employees2007: 0.093 compared to formal wage employees2008: 0.143 compared to formal wage employees2009: 0.136 compared to formal wage employees2010: 0.268 compared to formal wage employees2012: 0.308 compared to formal wage employees2015: 0.35 compared to formal wage employees2016: 0.336 compared to formal wage employees2017: 0.477 compared to formal wage employees2021: 0.331 compared to formal wage employees

Source: World Bank. Measured in compared to formal wage employees.

Analysis

Costa Rica recorded 0.3315 compared to formal wage employees for public sector wage premium in 2021.

That represents a change of up 23.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, public sector wage premium in Costa Rica peaked at 0.477 compared to formal wage employees in 2017 and was at its lowest, 0.0866 compared to formal wage employees, in 2003.

Costa Rica ranks 8th of 54 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 0.1095 compared to formal wage employees 0.0866 compared to formal wage employees 0.143 compared to formal wage employees 10
2010s 0.3478 compared to formal wage employees 0.2684 compared to formal wage employees 0.477 compared to formal wage employees 5
2020s 0.3315 compared to formal wage employees 0.3315 compared to formal wage employees 0.3315 compared to formal wage employees 1

Countries ranked near Costa Rica

  1. 5 Türkiye 0.3493 compared to formal wage employees compare
  2. 6 El Salvador 0.3356 compared to formal wage employees compare
  3. 7 Luxembourg 0.3342 compared to formal wage employees compare
  4. 9 Panama 0.2791 compared to formal wage employees compare
  5. 10 United Republic of Tanzania 0.2601 compared to formal wage employees compare
  6. 11 Sri Lanka 0.2278 compared to formal wage employees compare

See the full ranking of 54 places →

More reference data data for Costa Rica

All data for Costa Rica →

Frequently asked questions

What is public sector wage premium in Costa Rica?
Public sector wage premium in Costa Rica was 0.3315 compared to formal wage employees in 2021, according to the World Bank.
What is the highest public sector wage premium recorded in Costa Rica?
The highest recorded value was 0.477 compared to formal wage employees in 2017.
What is the lowest public sector wage premium recorded in Costa Rica?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0866 compared to formal wage employees in 2003.
How does Costa Rica rank for public sector wage premium?
Costa Rica ranks 8th out of 54 countries with data for 2021.
Is public sector wage premium rising or falling in Costa Rica?
Over the last ten years it is up 23.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
The figures come from the World Bank, published as part of Public sector wage premium (compared to formal wage employees). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Public sector wage premium in Costa Rica. Statizoid. Retrieved 20 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/public-sector-wage-premium-compared-to-formal-wage-employees/costa-rica/

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About this data

Indicator
Public sector wage premium (compared to formal wage employees)
Unit
compared to formal wage employees
Source
World Bank
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
54 places, 658 data points, 2000–2021
Last refreshed