According to a directory published by the Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INEC) – National Institute of Statistics and Census, in 2017, there were some 37,000 companies in the country
The majority of them are small and have few employees, according to the results of the Directorio de Empresas y Establecimientos – Directory of Companies and Establishments -2017, published on Thursday.
According to the study, in the country, there are some 37,000 companies, of which 64% have from one to five workers; 25%, from six to 30 employees; 6%, from 31 to 100 and only 3% more than 100. The rest is ignored.
This means that almost 90% of the companies in the directory are in the range of 30 to fewer employees.
The Directorio de Empresas y Establecimientos is an organized register of companies and establishments of the private sector in Costa Rica, dedicated to activities of production of goods and services.
The study reveals this sector employs some 725,624 people, of which 65% are men, 35% are women.
The research also shows that there is a concentration in the location of the companies. more than half (52%) are in the cantons of San José, Heredia, San Carlos, Alajuela, Cartago, Escazú, Montes de Oca, Goicoechea, and Puntarenas.
Other data that the study shows is that 1% of the companies in the Directory have subsidiaries abroad, located mainly in Panama, Nicaragua, and Guatemala. On the other hand, 3% of the companies is a subsidiary of a foreign ownership.
