The agricultural sector in Costa Rica has experienced a significant decline in its contribution to the country's economy, falling to 3.34% of the gross domestic product (GDP). This reduction comes alongside the loss of over 47,000 jobs, highlighting the sector's ongoing importance to rural employment, according to economists and industry representatives. 

Data from the Central Bank of Costa Rica (BCCR) shows that between 1991 and 2024, agriculture's share of GDP decreased from 11.94% to 3.34%, following adjustments made by the BCCR in November 2025. Additionally, the sector saw a decline in employment, with the number of jobs falling from 244,031 to 196,874 in the mobile quarter of October-December 2016 to the same quarter in 2025, according to the National Institute of Statistics and Census (INEC). This represents a loss of 47,157 jobs, or a 19% decrease, over the last decade.

Economist Víctor Umaña emphasises that this decrease does not indicate that agriculture is disappearing or losing its strategic importance. Several agricultural products, including pineapples, bananas, and coffee, remain key export commodities for the country. Umaña explains that other sectors have grown faster, leading to a decline in agriculture's contribution to GDP. Nevertheless, he highlights the sector's vital role in generating jobs outside of the Greater Metropolitan Area (GAM), alongside the industrial sector. The Central Bank also reports that the services sector now accounts for 14.2% of GDP. The GDP structure encompasses 15 sectors and more than 150 economic activities.

Óscar Arias Moreira, president of the National Chamber of Agriculture and Agribusiness (CNAA), notes that Intel's establishment in Costa Rica in 1997 marked a significant turning point, shifting the economy's focus toward high-tech industries, particularly the medical device sector. Arias notes that the country faces an "unbalanced playing field," in which the service and advanced manufacturing sectors offer better-paying jobs. He also criticises the neglect of agriculture over the past three decades and estimates that approximately 500,000 people are employed directly and indirectly in this sector. Moreover, he highlights that increased imports due to trade liberalisation have adversely affected agriculture.