Duration of compulsory education in Costa Rica

Costa Rica: Duration of compulsory education was 13 in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
13
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
17th
of 200 countries
All-time high
13
in 2011
All-time low
11
in 1998
Years of data
28
1998–2025

Duration of compulsory education in Costa Rica, 1998–2025

0510151998201120251998: 111999: 112000: 112001: 112002: 112003: 112004: 112005: 112006: 112007: 112008: 112009: 112010: 112011: 132012: 132013: 132014: 132015: 132016: 132017: 132018: 132019: 132020: 132021: 132022: 132023: 132024: 132025: 13

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2025, duration of compulsory education in Costa Rica stood at 13. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.

The figure is unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, duration of compulsory education in Costa Rica peaked at 13 in 2011 and was at its lowest, 11, in 1998.

That places Costa Rica 17th out of 200 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.

Duration of compulsory education in Costa Rica, year by year

Annual values for Duration of compulsory education in Costa Rica, 1998 to 2025.
Year Value Change
1998 11
1999 11 +0.0%
2000 11 +0.0%
2001 11 +0.0%
2002 11 +0.0%
2003 11 +0.0%
2004 11 +0.0%
2005 11 +0.0%
2006 11 +0.0%
2007 11 +0.0%
2008 11 +0.0%
2009 11 +0.0%
2010 11 +0.0%
2011 13 +18.2%
2012 13 +0.0%
2013 13 +0.0%
2014 13 +0.0%
2015 13 +0.0%
2016 13 +0.0%
2017 13 +0.0%
2018 13 +0.0%
2019 13 +0.0%
2020 13 +0.0%
2021 13 +0.0%
2022 13 +0.0%
2023 13 +0.0%
2024 13 +0.0%
2025 13 +0.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 11 11 11 2
2000s 11 11 11 10
2010s 12.8 11 13 10
2020s 13 13 13 6

Countries ranked near Costa Rica

  1. 17 Aruba 13 compare
  2. 17 Austria 13 compare
  3. 17 Belgium 13 compare
  4. 17 Bermuda 13 compare
  5. 17 France 13 compare
  6. 17 Germany 13 compare
  7. 17 Gibraltar 13 compare
  8. 17 Hungary 13 compare
  9. 17 Marshall Islands 13 compare
  10. 17 Netherlands 13 compare
  11. 17 North Macedonia 13 compare
  12. 17 Paraguay 13 compare
  13. 17 Philippines 13 compare
  14. 17 Puerto Rico 13 compare
  15. 17 Turks and Caicos Islands 13 compare

See the full ranking of 205 places →

More education data for Costa Rica

All data for Costa Rica →

Frequently asked questions

What is duration of compulsory education in Costa Rica?
Duration of compulsory education in Costa Rica was 13 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest duration of compulsory education recorded in Costa Rica?
The highest recorded value was 13 in 2011.
What is the lowest duration of compulsory education recorded in Costa Rica?
The lowest recorded value was 11 in 1998.
How does Costa Rica rank for duration of compulsory education?
Costa Rica ranks 17th out of 200 countries with data for 2025.
Is duration of compulsory education rising or falling in Costa Rica?
Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Duration of compulsory education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Duration of compulsory education in Costa Rica. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/duration-of-compulsory-education/costa-rica/

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About this data

Indicator
Duration of compulsory education
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
205 places, 5,383 data points, 1975–2025
Last refreshed