Costa Rica vs Upper middle income: Government expenditure on education, total

Costa Rica
20.4%
in 2023
Upper middle income
15.1%
in 2024
Costa Rica rank
16th
Upper middle income rank
16th

Government expenditure on education, total over time

  • Costa Rica
  • Upper middle income
0102030198220032024

How they compare

Costa Rica currently reports 20.4% against 15.1% in Upper middle income, a difference of 5.3%.

That makes Costa Rica's figure about 1.4 times Upper middle income's.

Across all 21 years both countries report, Costa Rica has been ahead every year.

Costa Rica ranks 16th and Upper middle income ranks 16th of 193 countries.

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

Head to head by decade

Decade Costa Rica Upper middle income Difference Ahead
1990s 21.9% 13.1% 8.8% Costa Rica
2000s 20.6% 14.3% 6.3% Costa Rica
2010s 25.1% 14.9% 10.2% Costa Rica
2020s 25.8% 14.3% 11.5% Costa Rica

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher government expenditure on education, total, Costa Rica or Upper middle income?
Costa Rica, at 20.4% against 15.1% in Upper middle income as of 2023.
What is the difference in government expenditure on education, total between Costa Rica and Upper middle income?
5.3%, with Costa Rica ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and Upper middle income?
21 years are reported by both, from 1999 to 2023.
How do Costa Rica and Upper middle income rank globally for government expenditure on education, total?
Costa Rica ranks 16th and Upper middle income ranks 16th of 193 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as Government expenditure on education, total (% of government expenditure). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Costa Rica vs Upper middle income: Government expenditure on education, total. Statizoid, drawing on Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/compare/government-expenditure-on-education-total-percent-of-government-expenditure/costa-rica/upper-middle-income/

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About this data

Indicator
Government expenditure on education, total (% of government expenditure)
Unit
% of government expenditure
Source
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
239 places, 5,722 data points, 1980–2025
Last refreshed

General government expenditure on education (current, capital, and transfers) is expressed as a percentage of total general government expenditure on all sectors (including health, education, social services, etc.). It includes expenditure funded by transfers from international sources to government. General government usually refers to local, regional and central governments.