Costa Rica vs Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan: Compulsory education, duration

Costa Rica
13 years
in 2025
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
9.5 years
in 2025
Costa Rica rank
17th
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan rank
20th

Compulsory education, duration over time

  • Costa Rica
  • Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
051015199820112025

How they compare

Costa Rica currently reports 13 years against 9.5 years in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, a difference of 3.5 years.

That makes Costa Rica's figure about 1.4 times Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan's.

Across all 28 years both countries report, Costa Rica has been ahead every year.

Costa Rica ranks 17th and Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan ranks 20th of 197 countries.

Costa Rica has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Costa Rica Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan Difference Ahead
1990s 11 years 9 years 2 years Costa Rica
2000s 11 years 9 years 2 years Costa Rica
2010s 12.8 years 9 years 3.8 years Costa Rica
2020s 13 years 9.42 years 3.58 years Costa Rica

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher compulsory education, duration, Costa Rica or Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
Costa Rica, at 13 years against 9.5 years in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan as of 2025.
What is the difference in compulsory education, duration between Costa Rica and Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
3.5 years, with Costa Rica ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
28 years are reported by both, from 1998 to 2025.
How do Costa Rica and Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan rank globally for compulsory education, duration?
Costa Rica ranks 17th and Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan ranks 20th of 197 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as Compulsory education, duration (years). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Costa Rica vs Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan: Compulsory education, duration. Statizoid, drawing on Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 14 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/compare/compulsory-education-duration-years/costa-rica/middle-east-north-africa-afghanistan-and-pakistan/

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About this data

Indicator
Compulsory education, duration (years)
Unit
years
Source
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
243 places, 6,506 data points, 1975–2025
Last refreshed

Duration of compulsory education is the number of years that children are legally obliged to attend school.