Government expenditure on lower secondary education as a percentage in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Government expenditure on lower secondary education as a percentage was 1.0% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
1.0%
Change on year
down 5.1%
World rank
35th
of 116 countries
All-time high
1.5%
in 2015
All-time low
0.9%
in 2021
Years of data
23
1999–2023
Government expenditure on lower secondary education as a percentage in Costa Rica, 1999–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Costa Rica recorded 1.0% for government expenditure on lower secondary education as a percentage in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 5.1% on the previous year and down 34.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on lower secondary education as a percentage in Costa Rica peaked at 1.5% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 0.9%, in 2021.
Costa Rica ranks 35th of 116 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.
Government expenditure on lower secondary education as a percentage in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 1.2% | — |
| 2000 | 1.0% | -16.0% |
| 2001 | 1.0% | -0.6% |
| 2002 | 1.1% | +13.2% |
| 2004 | 1.0% | -14.6% |
| 2006 | 1.0% | +2.9% |
| 2007 | 1.0% | +3.9% |
| 2008 | 1.1% | +3.5% |
| 2009 | 1.3% | +23.3% |
| 2010 | 1.4% | +9.0% |
| 2011 | 1.5% | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 1.5% | +5.1% |
| 2013 | 1.5% | -1.6% |
| 2014 | 1.5% | -1.5% |
| 2015 | 1.5% | +3.7% |
| 2016 | 1.5% | -4.8% |
| 2017 | 1.4% | -4.4% |
| 2018 | 1.3% | -9.3% |
| 2019 | 1.3% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 1.0% | -19.6% |
| 2021 | 0.9% | -8.5% |
| 2022 | 1.0% | +11.1% |
| 2023 | 1.0% | -5.1% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 1.0% is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.9%, 1.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 1.0% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 0.7%, 1.3× the median. (20 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1 |
| 2000s | 1.1% | 1.0% | 1.3% | 8 |
| 2010s | 1.4% | 1.3% | 1.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.0% | 0.9% | 1.0% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
- 32 Netherlands 1.0% compare
- 33 Uruguay 1.0% compare
- 34 Cape Verde 1.0% compare
- 36 Korea 1.0% compare
- 37 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 1.0% compare
- 38 Cyprus 1.0% 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 lower secondary education as a percentage in Costa Rica?
- Government expenditure on lower secondary education as a percentage in Costa Rica was 1.0% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on lower secondary education as a percentage recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 1.5% in 2015.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on lower secondary education as a percentage recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.9% in 2021.
- How does Costa Rica rank for government expenditure on lower secondary education as a percentage?
- Costa Rica ranks 35th out of 116 countries with data for 2023.
- Is government expenditure on lower secondary education as a percentage rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 34.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Government expenditure on lower secondary education as a percentage of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release