Costa Rica vs El Salvador: Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes
Costa Rica
221,811
in 2019
El Salvador
195,949
in 2024
Costa Rica rank
93rd
El Salvador rank
96th
Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes over time
- Costa Rica
- El Salvador
How they compare
Costa Rica currently reports 221,811 against 195,949 in El Salvador, a difference of 25,862.
That makes Costa Rica's figure about 1.1 times El Salvador's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 23 shared years of data; in 1970 it was Costa Rica ahead.
Costa Rica ranks 93rd and El Salvador ranks 96th of 200 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, Costa Rica averaged higher in 2 and El Salvador in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | El Salvador | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 27,058 | 18,638 | 8,420 | Costa Rica |
| 1980s | 64,871 | 67,160 | 2,288 | El Salvador |
| 1990s | 77,562 | 82,162 | 4,601 | El Salvador |
| 2000s | 108,765 | 120,264 | 11,499 | El Salvador |
| 2010s | 213,360 | 179,049 | 34,311 | Costa Rica |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes, Costa Rica or El Salvador?
- Costa Rica, at 221,811 against 195,949 in El Salvador as of 2019.
- What is the difference in enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes between Costa Rica and El Salvador?
- 25,862, with Costa Rica ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and El Salvador?
- 23 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2019.
- How do Costa Rica and El Salvador rank globally for enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes?
- Costa Rica ranks 93rd and El Salvador ranks 96th of 200 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
February 2026 Data Release