Costa Rica vs Panama: Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government
Costa Rica
18.0%
in 2023
Panama
16.6%
in 2021
Costa Rica rank
22nd
Panama rank
25th
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government over time
- Costa Rica
- Panama
How they compare
Costa Rica currently reports 18.0% against 16.6% in Panama, a difference of 1.4%.
That makes Costa Rica's figure about 1.1 times Panama's.
Across all 8 years both countries report, Costa Rica has been ahead every year.
Costa Rica ranks 22nd and Panama ranks 25th of 123 countries.
Costa Rica has averaged higher in every one of the 2 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | Panama | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 24.4% | 19.0% | 5.4% | Costa Rica |
| 2020s | 20.0% | 17.1% | 2.9% | Costa Rica |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher expenditure on education as a percentage of total government, Costa Rica or Panama?
- Costa Rica, at 18.0% against 16.6% in Panama as of 2023.
- What is the difference in expenditure on education as a percentage of total government between Costa Rica and Panama?
- 1.4%, with Costa Rica ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and Panama?
- 8 years are reported by both, from 2014 to 2021.
- How do Costa Rica and Panama rank globally for expenditure on education as a percentage of total government?
- Costa Rica ranks 22nd and Panama ranks 25th of 123 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government expenditure (%) (IMF calculation). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
February 2026 Data Release