Educational attainment, at least completed short-cycle tertiary in Costa Rica

Costa Rica: Educational attainment, at least completed short-cycle tertiary was 19.2% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
19.2%
Change on year
up 6.9%
World rank
75th
of 129 countries
All-time high
23.4%
in 2014
All-time low
6.1%
in 1973
Years of data
25
1973–2024

Educational attainment, at least completed short-cycle tertiary in Costa Rica, 1973–2024

5101520251973199820241973: 6.1 cumulative2001: 14.1 cumulative2002: 14.8 cumulative2003: 14.8 cumulative2004: 15.5 cumulative2005: 15.9 cumulative2006: 16 cumulative2007: 17.8 cumulative2008: 20.5 cumulative2009: 20.7 cumulative2010: 19.9 cumulative2011: 20.3 cumulative2012: 20.7 cumulative2013: 15.1 cumulative2014: 23.4 cumulative2015: 21.2 cumulative2016: 20.4 cumulative2017: 17.3 cumulative2018: 20.9 cumulative2019: 18.3 cumulative2020: 21.2 cumulative2021: 17.5 cumulative2022: 17.5 cumulative2023: 18 cumulative2024: 19.2 cumulative

Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in cumulative.

Analysis

In 2024, educational attainment, at least completed short-cycle tertiary in Costa Rica stood at 19.2%.

The figure is up 6.9% on the previous year and down 17.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, educational attainment, at least completed short-cycle tertiary in Costa Rica peaked at 23.4% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 6.1%, in 1973.

Costa Rica ranks 75th of 129 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.

Educational attainment, at least completed short-cycle tertiary in Costa Rica, year by year

Annual values for Educational attainment, at least completed short-cycle tertiary, population 25+, male (%) (cumulative) in Costa Rica, 1973 to 2024.
Year cumulative Change
1973 6.1%
2001 14.1% +129.3%
2002 14.8% +4.9%
2003 14.8% -0.2%
2004 15.5% +4.9%
2005 15.9% +2.8%
2006 16.0% +0.5%
2007 17.8% +11.6%
2008 20.5% +15.1%
2009 20.7% +1.0%
2010 19.9% -4.1%
2011 20.3% +2.0%
2012 20.7% +2.2%
2013 15.1% -27.4%
2014 23.4% +55.4%
2015 21.2% -9.6%
2016 20.4% -3.7%
2017 17.3% -15.1%
2018 20.9% +20.6%
2019 18.3% -12.3%
2020 21.2% +15.6%
2021 17.5% -17.0%
2022 17.5% -0.3%
2023 18.0% +2.8%
2024 19.2% +6.9%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 6.1% 6.1% 6.1% 1
2000s 16.7% 14.1% 20.7% 9
2010s 19.7% 15.1% 23.4% 10
2020s 18.7% 17.5% 21.2% 5

Countries ranked near Costa Rica

  1. 72 Brunei Darussalam 20.1% compare
  2. 73 Palestine, State of 19.5% compare
  3. 74 Egypt 19.3% compare
  4. 76 Albania 19.0% compare
  5. 77 Zimbabwe 16.9% compare
  6. 78 Trinidad and Tobago 16.1% compare

See the full ranking of 129 places →

More education data for Costa Rica

All data for Costa Rica →

Frequently asked questions

What is educational attainment, at least completed short-cycle tertiary in Costa Rica?
Educational attainment, at least completed short-cycle tertiary in Costa Rica was 19.2% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
What is the highest educational attainment, at least completed short-cycle tertiary recorded in Costa Rica?
The highest recorded value was 23.4% in 2014.
What is the lowest educational attainment, at least completed short-cycle tertiary recorded in Costa Rica?
The lowest recorded value was 6.1% in 1973.
How does Costa Rica rank for educational attainment, at least completed short-cycle tertiary?
Costa Rica ranks 75th out of 129 countries with data for 2024.
Is educational attainment, at least completed short-cycle tertiary rising or falling in Costa Rica?
Over the last ten years it is down 17.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
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 Educational attainment, at least completed short-cycle tertiary, population 25+, male (%) (cumulative). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Educational attainment, at least completed short-cycle tertiary in Costa Rica. Statizoid, drawing on Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 06 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/educational-attainment-at-least-completed-short-cycle-tertiary-population-25-male-percent/costa-rica/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://education.statizoid.com/stat/educational-attainment-at-least-completed-short-cycle-tertiary-population-25-male-percent/costa-rica/">Educational attainment, at least completed short-cycle tertiary in Costa Rica</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Educational attainment, at least completed short-cycle tertiary, population 25+, male (%) (cumulative)
Unit
cumulative
Source
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
129 places, 2,126 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

The percentage of population ages 25 and over that attained or completed short-cycle tertiary education.