Costa Rica vs Mexico: Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education
Costa Rica
20.4%
in 2024
Mexico
19.7%
in 2025
Costa Rica rank
75th
Mexico rank
76th
Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education over time
- Costa Rica
- Mexico
How they compare
Costa Rica currently reports 20.4% against 19.7% in Mexico, a difference of 0.7%.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 23 shared years of data; in 2002 it was Costa Rica ahead.
Costa Rica ranks 75th and Mexico ranks 76th of 129 countries.
Costa Rica has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | Mexico | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 16.9% | 13.2% | 3.6% | Costa Rica |
| 2010s | 20.4% | 15.4% | 5.0% | Costa Rica |
| 2020s | 19.8% | 18.8% | 1.0% | Costa Rica |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education, Costa Rica or Mexico?
- Costa Rica, at 20.4% against 19.7% in Mexico as of 2024.
- What is the difference in educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education between Costa Rica and Mexico?
- 0.7%, with Costa Rica ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and Mexico?
- 23 years are reported by both, from 2002 to 2024.
- How do Costa Rica and Mexico rank globally for educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education?
- Costa Rica ranks 75th and Mexico ranks 76th of 129 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education or higher, population 25+ years, both sexes (%). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
February 2026 Data Release