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 1.7% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in Costa Rica, 1980–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Costa Rica recorded 1.7% for government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.1% on the previous year and down 29.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Costa Rica peaked at 2.8% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 1.1%, in 1982.
Costa Rica ranks 41st of 162 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 30 years of available data.
Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 1.9% | — |
| 1982 | 1.1% | -40.3% |
| 1983 | 1.2% | +6.1% |
| 1988 | 1.5% | +22.3% |
| 1989 | 1.5% | +1.9% |
| 1995 | 1.3% | -13.2% |
| 1996 | 1.6% | +21.5% |
| 1999 | 2.5% | +61.4% |
| 2000 | 2.2% | -14.8% |
| 2001 | 2.1% | -4.9% |
| 2002 | 2.2% | +5.7% |
| 2004 | 2.2% | +1.8% |
| 2006 | 1.8% | -18.1% |
| 2007 | 1.8% | -0.7% |
| 2008 | 1.9% | +7.0% |
| 2009 | 2.5% | +28.3% |
| 2010 | 2.8% | +11.0% |
| 2011 | 2.5% | -8.8% |
| 2012 | 2.6% | +2.6% |
| 2013 | 2.4% | -4.9% |
| 2014 | 2.4% | -0.9% |
| 2015 | 2.5% | +4.4% |
| 2016 | 2.3% | -7.4% |
| 2017 | 2.0% | -12.8% |
| 2018 | 1.9% | -5.1% |
| 2019 | 2.4% | +23.8% |
| 2020 | 2.1% | -13.8% |
| 2021 | 1.9% | -9.0% |
| 2022 | 1.8% | -6.2% |
| 2023 | 1.7% | -2.1% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 1.7% is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.1%, 1.6× the median. (63 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 1.7% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 1.4%, 1.3× the median. (36 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.4% | 1.1% | 1.9% | 5 |
| 1990s | 1.8% | 1.3% | 2.5% | 3 |
| 2000s | 2.1% | 1.8% | 2.5% | 8 |
| 2010s | 2.4% | 1.9% | 2.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.9% | 1.7% | 2.1% | 4 |
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 1.7% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 2.8% 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 1.1% in 1982.
- How does Costa Rica rank for government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp?
- Costa Rica ranks 41st out of 162 countries with data for 2023.
- 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 29.2%. 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 primary 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