Costa Rica vs South Africa: Initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of GDP
Costa Rica
20.4%
in 2023
South Africa
20.6%
in 2024
Costa Rica rank
31st
South Africa rank
30th
Initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of GDP over time
- Costa Rica
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 20.6% against 20.4% in Costa Rica, a difference of 0.2%.
Across all 23 years both countries report, Costa Rica has been ahead every year.
Costa Rica ranks 31st and South Africa ranks 30th of 127 countries.
Costa Rica has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 17.3% | 13.8% | 3.5% | Costa Rica |
| 2000s | 16.2% | 13.0% | 3.2% | Costa Rica |
| 2010s | 23.7% | 16.6% | 7.0% | Costa Rica |
| 2020s | 21.2% | 20.3% | 0.9% | Costa Rica |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp, Costa Rica or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 20.6% against 20.4% in Costa Rica as of 2024.
- What is the difference in initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp between Costa Rica and South Africa?
- 0.2%, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and South Africa?
- 23 years are reported by both, from 1999 to 2023.
- How do Costa Rica and South Africa rank globally for initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp?
- Costa Rica ranks 31st and South Africa ranks 30th of 127 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of GDP per capita. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
February 2026 Data Release