Children out of school in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Children out of school was 4.5% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Children out of school in Costa Rica, 2011–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of primary school age.
Analysis
The most recent figure for children out of school in Costa Rica is 4.5%, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 5.1% on the previous year and down 50.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, children out of school in Costa Rica peaked at 9.9% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 3.0%, in 2011.
Costa Rica ranks 90th of 196 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 14 years of available data.
Children out of school in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | % of primary school age | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 3.0% | — |
| 2012 | 4.7% | +54.8% |
| 2013 | 6.6% | +40.4% |
| 2014 | 9.1% | +38.5% |
| 2015 | 8.5% | -6.5% |
| 2016 | 7.8% | -8.9% |
| 2017 | 9.9% | +27.4% |
| 2018 | 6.5% | -33.9% |
| 2019 | 4.7% | -27.9% |
| 2020 | 5.3% | +12.4% |
| 2021 | 6.1% | +15.4% |
| 2022 | 6.0% | -2.1% |
| 2023 | 4.7% | -21.0% |
| 2024 | 4.5% | -5.1% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 4.5% is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.8%, 2.5× the median. (74 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 4.5% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 5.1%, 89% of the median. (38 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 6.8% | 3.0% | 9.9% | 9 |
| 2020s | 5.3% | 4.5% | 6.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
More education data for Costa Rica
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 37,015 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 14,772 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 62,694 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 61,047 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 464,490 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 460,126 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -3.03 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0897 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is children out of school in Costa Rica?
- Children out of school in Costa Rica was 4.5% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest children out of school recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 9.9% in 2017.
- What is the lowest children out of school recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.0% in 2011.
- How does Costa Rica rank for children out of school?
- Costa Rica ranks 90th out of 196 countries with data for 2024.
- Is children out of school rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 50.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Children out of school (% of primary school age). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Children out of school are the percentage of primary-school-age children who are not enrolled in primary or secondary school. Children in the official primary age group that are in preprimary education should be considered out of school.