Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP was 1.89 in 2021. ▲ Rising
Latest (2021)
1.89
Change on year
down 9.0%
World rank
10th
of 34 countries
All-time high
2.75
in 2010
All-time low
1.13
in 1982
Years of data
28
1980–2021
Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in Costa Rica, 1980–2021
Source: UNICEF.
Analysis
Costa Rica recorded 1.89 for government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in 2021.
That represents a change of down 9.0% on the previous year and down 24.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Costa Rica peaked at 2.75 in 2010 and was at its lowest, 1.13, in 1982.
Costa Rica ranks 10th of 34 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 1.9 | — |
| 1982 | 1.13 | -40.3% |
| 1983 | 1.2 | +6.1% |
| 1988 | 1.47 | +22.3% |
| 1989 | 1.5 | +1.9% |
| 1995 | 1.3 | -13.2% |
| 1996 | 1.58 | +21.5% |
| 1999 | 2.55 | +61.4% |
| 2000 | 2.17 | -14.8% |
| 2001 | 2.07 | -4.9% |
| 2002 | 2.18 | +5.7% |
| 2004 | 2.22 | +1.8% |
| 2006 | 1.82 | -18.1% |
| 2007 | 1.81 | -0.7% |
| 2008 | 1.93 | +7.0% |
| 2009 | 2.48 | +28.3% |
| 2010 | 2.75 | +11.0% |
| 2011 | 2.51 | -8.8% |
| 2012 | 2.57 | +2.6% |
| 2013 | 2.45 | -4.9% |
| 2014 | 2.43 | -0.9% |
| 2015 | 2.53 | +4.4% |
| 2016 | 2.35 | -7.4% |
| 2017 | 2.04 | -12.8% |
| 2018 | 1.94 | -5.1% |
| 2019 | 2.4 | +23.8% |
| 2020 | 2.07 | -13.8% |
| 2021 | 1.89 | -9.0% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 1.89 is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 1.39, 1.4× the median. (32 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 1.89 is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.8326, 2.3× the median. (11 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.44 | 1.13 | 1.9 | 5 |
| 1990s | 1.81 | 1.3 | 2.55 | 3 |
| 2000s | 2.09 | 1.81 | 2.48 | 8 |
| 2010s | 2.4 | 1.94 | 2.75 | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.98 | 1.89 | 2.07 | 2 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
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 primary education as a percentage of gdp in Costa Rica?
- Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Costa Rica was 1.89 in 2021, according to UNICEF.
- What is the highest government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 2.75 in 2010.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.13 in 1982.
- How does Costa Rica rank for government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp?
- Costa Rica ranks 10th out of 34 countries with data for 2021.
- Is government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 24.8%. 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 primary education as a percentage of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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