Costa Rica vs South Africa: Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP
Costa Rica
1.2%
in 2023
South Africa
1.2%
in 2024
Costa Rica rank
39th
South Africa rank
41st
Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP over time
- Costa Rica
- South Africa
How they compare
Costa Rica currently reports 1.2% against 1.2% in South Africa, a difference of 0.0%.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 26 shared years of data; in 1988 it was Costa Rica ahead.
Costa Rica ranks 39th and South Africa ranks 41st of 173 countries.
Costa Rica has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.7% | 1.2% | 0.5% | Costa Rica |
| 1990s | 1.0% | 0.8% | 0.2% | Costa Rica |
| 2000s | 1.0% | 0.6% | 0.4% | Costa Rica |
| 2010s | 1.4% | 0.7% | 0.7% | Costa Rica |
| 2020s | 1.3% | 1.3% | 0.0% | Costa Rica |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp, Costa Rica or South Africa?
- Costa Rica, at 1.2% against 1.2% in South Africa as of 2023.
- What is the difference in government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp between Costa Rica and South Africa?
- 0.0%, with Costa Rica ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and South Africa?
- 26 years are reported by both, from 1988 to 2023.
- How do Costa Rica and South Africa rank globally for government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp?
- Costa Rica ranks 39th and South Africa ranks 41st of 173 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP (%). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
February 2026 Data Release