Government expenditure on education in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Government expenditure on education was 31.17 in 2021. ▲ Rising
Government expenditure on education in Costa Rica, 1986–2021
Source: UNICEF.
Analysis
In 2021, government expenditure on education in Costa Rica stood at 31.17.
The figure is up 3.6% on the previous year and up 35.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on education in Costa Rica peaked at 32.59 in 2019 and was at its lowest, 16.74, in 1995.
Costa Rica ranks 1st of 35 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Government expenditure on education in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | 30.32 | — |
| 1988 | 18.36 | -39.4% |
| 1989 | 17.66 | -3.8% |
| 1995 | 16.74 | -5.2% |
| 1996 | 19.11 | +14.2% |
| 1999 | 21.92 | +14.7% |
| 2000 | 18.82 | -14.2% |
| 2001 | 19.15 | +1.8% |
| 2002 | 19.24 | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 20.15 | +4.7% |
| 2004 | 20.43 | +1.4% |
| 2006 | 20.64 | +1.0% |
| 2007 | 21.02 | +1.8% |
| 2008 | 20.81 | -1.0% |
| 2009 | 23.41 | +12.5% |
| 2010 | 22.88 | -2.3% |
| 2011 | 23.01 | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 23.5 | +2.1% |
| 2013 | 22.83 | -2.9% |
| 2014 | 23.11 | +1.2% |
| 2015 | 23.37 | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 23.42 | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 30.15 | +28.7% |
| 2018 | 26.09 | -13.5% |
| 2019 | 32.59 | +24.9% |
| 2020 | 30.08 | -7.7% |
| 2021 | 31.17 | +3.6% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 31.17 is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 13.27, 2.3× the median. (33 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 31.17 is above the median for high income countries, which is 12.57, 2.5× the median. (11 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Government expenditure on education in Costa Rica changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | -39.4% | 30.32 | 18.36 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 22.12 | 17.66 | 30.32 | 3 |
| 1990s | 19.26 | 16.74 | 21.92 | 3 |
| 2000s | 20.41 | 18.82 | 23.41 | 9 |
| 2010s | 25.1 | 22.83 | 32.59 | 10 |
| 2020s | 30.62 | 30.08 | 31.17 | 2 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
- 2 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 23.15 compare
- 3 Paraguay 21.99 compare
- 4 Dominican Republic 21.86 compare
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 government expenditure on education in Costa Rica?
- Government expenditure on education in Costa Rica was 31.17 in 2021, according to UNICEF.
- What is the highest government expenditure on education recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 32.59 in 2019.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on education recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.74 in 1995.
- How does Costa Rica rank for government expenditure on education?
- Costa Rica ranks 1st out of 35 countries with data for 2021.
- Is government expenditure on education rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 35.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from UNICEF, published as part of Government expenditure on education (% of total government expenditure). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 27 observations, free to reuse under UNICEF Terms of Use (attribution required).