Costa Rica vs El Salvador: Share of the population with lower secondary education
Costa Rica
52.4%
in 2024
El Salvador
49.2%
in 2023
Costa Rica rank
101st
El Salvador rank
103rd
Share of the population with lower secondary education over time
- Costa Rica
- El Salvador
How they compare
Costa Rica currently reports 52.4% against 49.2% in El Salvador, a difference of 3.2%.
That makes Costa Rica's figure about 1.1 times El Salvador's.
Across all 23 years both countries report, Costa Rica has been ahead every year.
Costa Rica ranks 101st and El Salvador ranks 103rd of 135 countries.
Costa Rica has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | El Salvador | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 42.1% | 34.9% | 7.1% | Costa Rica |
| 2010s | 50.3% | 42.4% | 8.0% | Costa Rica |
| 2020s | 51.5% | 47.9% | 3.5% | Costa Rica |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of the population with lower secondary education, Costa Rica or El Salvador?
- Costa Rica, at 52.4% against 49.2% in El Salvador as of 2024.
- What is the difference in share of the population with lower secondary education between Costa Rica and El Salvador?
- 3.2%, 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 2001 to 2023.
- How do Costa Rica and El Salvador rank globally for share of the population with lower secondary education?
- Costa Rica ranks 101st and El Salvador ranks 103rd of 135 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of the population with lower secondary education. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Share of adults aged 25 and older who have completed lower secondary education or higher.