Government expenditure on secondary education as a percentage of GDP in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Government expenditure on secondary education as a percentage of GDP was 1.8% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Government expenditure on secondary education as a percentage of GDP in Costa Rica, 1980–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, government expenditure on secondary education as a percentage of gdp in Costa Rica stood at 1.8%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.8% on the previous year and down 21.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on secondary education as a percentage of gdp in Costa Rica peaked at 2.3% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.8%, in 1982.
That places Costa Rica 50th out of 165 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 30 years of available data.
Government expenditure on secondary education as a percentage of GDP in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 1.5% | — |
| 1982 | 0.8% | -50.1% |
| 1983 | 0.9% | +12.6% |
| 1988 | 0.8% | -3.8% |
| 1989 | 0.9% | +3.9% |
| 1995 | 0.8% | -7.5% |
| 1996 | 1.0% | +20.4% |
| 1999 | 1.6% | +65.0% |
| 2000 | 1.3% | -17.0% |
| 2001 | 1.5% | +13.5% |
| 2002 | 1.6% | +10.8% |
| 2004 | 1.4% | -17.1% |
| 2006 | 1.4% | +2.1% |
| 2007 | 1.5% | +4.7% |
| 2008 | 1.5% | +4.1% |
| 2009 | 1.9% | +24.2% |
| 2010 | 2.1% | +10.0% |
| 2011 | 2.1% | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 2.2% | +4.9% |
| 2013 | 2.3% | +3.4% |
| 2014 | 2.2% | -0.9% |
| 2015 | 2.3% | +3.6% |
| 2016 | 2.2% | -4.7% |
| 2017 | 2.2% | +1.6% |
| 2018 | 1.9% | -13.4% |
| 2019 | 2.3% | +19.0% |
| 2020 | 2.3% | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 2.1% | -8.5% |
| 2022 | 1.9% | -12.2% |
| 2023 | 1.8% | -4.8% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 1.8% is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.5%, 1.2× the median. (63 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 1.8% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 1.3%, 1.4× the median. (36 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.0% | 0.8% | 1.5% | 5 |
| 1990s | 1.1% | 0.8% | 1.6% | 3 |
| 2000s | 1.5% | 1.3% | 1.9% | 8 |
| 2010s | 2.2% | 1.9% | 2.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.0% | 1.8% | 2.3% | 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 secondary education as a percentage of gdp in Costa Rica?
- Government expenditure on secondary education as a percentage of gdp in Costa Rica was 1.8% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on secondary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 2.3% in 2020.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on secondary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.8% in 1982.
- How does Costa Rica rank for government expenditure on secondary education as a percentage of gdp?
- Costa Rica ranks 50th out of 165 countries with data for 2023.
- Is government expenditure on secondary education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 21.5%. 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 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