Costa Rica vs Malta: Share of the population with tertiary education

Costa Rica
19.5%
in 2020
Malta
18.9%
in 2020
Costa Rica rank
42nd
Malta rank
44th

Share of the population with tertiary education over time

  • Costa Rica
  • Malta
05101520187019452020

How they compare

Costa Rica currently reports 19.5% against 18.9% in Malta, a difference of 0.6%.

The two have swapped places 3 times across 31 shared years of data; in 1870 it was Malta ahead.

Costa Rica ranks 42nd and Malta ranks 44th of 111 countries.

Across the 16 decades both report, Costa Rica averaged higher in 6 and Malta in 7.

Head to head by decade

Decade Costa Rica Malta Difference Ahead
1870s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
1880s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
1890s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
1900s 0.4% 0.8% 0.4% Malta
1910s 0.9% 1.7% 0.8% Malta
1920s 1.2% 2.4% 1.2% Malta
1930s 1.5% 3.1% 1.6% Malta
1940s 1.6% 3.8% 2.1% Malta
1950s 1.9% 4.0% 2.1% Malta
1960s 2.8% 2.9% 0.1% Malta
1970s 4.6% 4.3% 0.2% Costa Rica
1980s 8.8% 5.9% 2.9% Costa Rica
1990s 13.2% 7.1% 6.2% Costa Rica
2000s 17.5% 10.6% 6.9% Costa Rica
2010s 20.4% 15.3% 5.0% Costa Rica
2020s 19.5% 18.9% 0.6% Costa Rica

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher share of the population with tertiary education, Costa Rica or Malta?
Costa Rica, at 19.5% against 18.9% in Malta as of 2020.
What is the difference in share of the population with tertiary education between Costa Rica and Malta?
0.6%, with Costa Rica ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and Malta?
31 years are reported by both, from 1870 to 2020.
How do Costa Rica and Malta rank globally for share of the population with tertiary education?
Costa Rica ranks 42nd and Malta ranks 44th of 111 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of the population with tertiary education. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Costa Rica vs Malta: Share of the population with tertiary education. Statizoid, drawing on Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 02 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/compare/share-of-the-population-with-completed-tertiary-education/costa-rica/malta/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of the population with tertiary education
Unit
%
Source
Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
111 places, 3,441 data points, 1870–2020
Last refreshed

Percentage of the population aged 25 to 65 years who have either completed or partially completed tertiary education.