Government expenditure on education, total in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Government expenditure on education, total was 20.4% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Government expenditure on education, total in Costa Rica, 1982–2023
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of government expenditure.
Analysis
In 2023, government expenditure on education, total in Costa Rica stood at 20.4%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 5.6% on the previous year and down 10.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on education, total in Costa Rica peaked at 32.6% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1982.
That places Costa Rica 16th out of 193 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 31 years of available data.
Government expenditure on education, total in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | % of government expenditure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | 0.0% | — |
| 1983 | 0.0% | — |
| 1986 | 30.3% | — |
| 1988 | 18.4% | -39.4% |
| 1989 | 17.7% | -3.8% |
| 1995 | 16.7% | -5.2% |
| 1996 | 19.1% | +14.2% |
| 1999 | 21.9% | +14.7% |
| 2000 | 18.8% | -14.2% |
| 2001 | 19.2% | +1.8% |
| 2002 | 19.2% | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 20.2% | +4.7% |
| 2004 | 20.4% | +1.4% |
| 2006 | 20.6% | +1.0% |
| 2007 | 21.0% | +1.8% |
| 2008 | 20.8% | -1.0% |
| 2009 | 23.4% | +12.5% |
| 2010 | 22.9% | -2.3% |
| 2011 | 23.0% | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 23.5% | +2.1% |
| 2013 | 22.8% | -2.9% |
| 2014 | 23.1% | +1.2% |
| 2015 | 23.4% | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 23.4% | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 30.2% | +28.7% |
| 2018 | 26.1% | -13.5% |
| 2019 | 32.6% | +24.9% |
| 2020 | 30.1% | -7.7% |
| 2021 | 31.2% | +3.6% |
| 2022 | 21.6% | -30.8% |
| 2023 | 20.4% | -5.6% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 20.4% is above the median for high income countries, which is 11.8%, 1.7× the median. (70 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 20.4% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 13.4%, 1.5× the median. (38 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Government expenditure on education, total 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% | 30.3% | 18.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 13.3% | 0.0% | 30.3% | 5 |
| 1990s | 19.3% | 16.7% | 21.9% | 3 |
| 2000s | 20.4% | 18.8% | 23.4% | 9 |
| 2010s | 25.1% | 22.8% | 32.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 25.8% | 20.4% | 31.2% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
- 13 Dominican Republic 20.9% compare
- 14 Sierra Leone 20.5% compare
- 15 Mozambique 20.4% compare
- 17 Burkina Faso 20.3% compare
- 18 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 20.2% compare
- 19 Kiribati 20.1% 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, total in Costa Rica?
- Government expenditure on education, total in Costa Rica was 20.4% in 2023, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest government expenditure on education, total recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 32.6% in 2019.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on education, total recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1982.
- How does Costa Rica rank for government expenditure on education, total?
- Costa Rica ranks 16th out of 193 countries with data for 2023.
- Is government expenditure on education, total rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.7%. 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 Government expenditure on education, total (% of government expenditure). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
General government expenditure on education (current, capital, and transfers) is expressed as a percentage of total general government expenditure on all sectors (including health, education, social services, etc.). It includes expenditure funded by transfers from international sources to government. General government usually refers to local, regional and central governments.