Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP was 1.2% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
1.2%
Change on year
down 6.4%
World rank
39th
of 173 countries
All-time high
2.2%
in 1980
All-time low
0.9%
in 2000
Years of data
31
1980–2023
Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP in Costa Rica, 1980–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in Costa Rica stood at 1.2%.
That represents a change of down 6.4% on the previous year and down 13.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in Costa Rica peaked at 2.2% in 1980 and was at its lowest, 0.9%, in 2000.
That places Costa Rica 39th out of 173 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 31 years of available data.
Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 2.2% | — |
| 1982 | 1.8% | -16.6% |
| 1983 | 1.5% | -15.0% |
| 1986 | 1.9% | +24.0% |
| 1988 | 1.7% | -10.0% |
| 1989 | 1.7% | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 1.0% | -39.2% |
| 1996 | 1.1% | +5.7% |
| 1999 | 0.9% | -15.9% |
| 2000 | 0.9% | -2.7% |
| 2001 | 0.9% | +2.0% |
| 2002 | 1.0% | +4.7% |
| 2004 | 0.9% | -5.2% |
| 2006 | 1.0% | +5.2% |
| 2007 | 1.0% | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 1.0% | +5.4% |
| 2009 | 1.1% | +11.7% |
| 2010 | 1.2% | +6.0% |
| 2011 | 1.3% | +3.6% |
| 2012 | 1.3% | +3.4% |
| 2013 | 1.4% | +5.9% |
| 2014 | 1.4% | +5.6% |
| 2015 | 1.5% | +5.6% |
| 2016 | 1.6% | +3.5% |
| 2017 | 1.7% | +5.6% |
| 2018 | 1.6% | -6.3% |
| 2019 | 1.5% | -5.3% |
| 2020 | 1.4% | -4.8% |
| 2021 | 1.3% | -6.3% |
| 2022 | 1.3% | -4.3% |
| 2023 | 1.2% | -6.4% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 1.2% is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.9%, 1.3× the median. (67 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 1.2% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 0.8%, 1.5× the median. (35 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.8% | 1.5% | 2.2% | 6 |
| 1990s | 1.0% | 0.9% | 1.1% | 3 |
| 2000s | 1.0% | 0.9% | 1.1% | 8 |
| 2010s | 1.4% | 1.2% | 1.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.3% | 1.2% | 1.4% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
- 36 Macau, China 1.2% compare
- 37 France 1.2% compare
- 38 Malta 1.2% compare
- 40 New Zealand 1.2% compare
- 41 South Africa 1.2% compare
- 42 Vanuatu 1.2% 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 tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in Costa Rica?
- Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in Costa Rica was 1.2% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 2.2% in 1980.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.9% in 2000.
- How does Costa Rica rank for government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp?
- Costa Rica ranks 39th out of 173 countries with data for 2023.
- Is government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Government expenditure on tertiary 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