Share of GDP per capita spent by the government on each primary school student vs. GDP per capita in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Share of GDP per capita spent by the government on each primary school student vs. GDP per capita was 20.8% in 2018. ▲ Rising
Share of GDP per capita spent by the government on each primary school student vs. GDP per capita in Costa Rica, 1999–2018
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP per capita.
Analysis
Costa Rica recorded 20.8% for share of gdp per capita spent by the government on each primary school student vs. gdp per capita in 2018.
The figure is down 6.5% on the previous year and up 28.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of gdp per capita spent by the government on each primary school student vs. gdp per capita in Costa Rica peaked at 26.7% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 14.5%, in 2006.
Costa Rica ranks 26th of 122 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 18 years of available data.
Share of GDP per capita spent by the government on each primary school student vs. GDP per capita in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | % of GDP per capita | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 17.5% | — |
| 2000 | 15.7% | -10.3% |
| 2001 | 15.1% | -3.3% |
| 2002 | 16.5% | +8.9% |
| 2004 | 16.9% | +2.5% |
| 2006 | 14.5% | -14.0% |
| 2007 | 14.9% | +2.5% |
| 2008 | 16.2% | +8.8% |
| 2009 | 21.2% | +30.7% |
| 2010 | 24.4% | +15.3% |
| 2011 | 23.2% | -5.1% |
| 2012 | 24.8% | +6.8% |
| 2013 | 24.8% | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 25.1% | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 26.7% | +6.3% |
| 2016 | 24.9% | -6.9% |
| 2017 | 22.3% | -10.4% |
| 2018 | 20.8% | -6.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 17.5% | 17.5% | 17.5% | 1 |
| 2000s | 16.4% | 14.5% | 21.2% | 8 |
| 2010s | 24.1% | 20.8% | 26.7% | 9 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
More education data for Costa Rica
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 464,490 (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth -3.18 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 43,058 (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate -1.92 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 235,627 (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate -3.45 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 228,863 (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate -2.91 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 123,741 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual -5.22 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of gdp per capita spent by the government on each primary school student vs. gdp per capita in Costa Rica?
- Share of gdp per capita spent by the government on each primary school student vs. gdp per capita in Costa Rica was 20.8% in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of gdp per capita spent by the government on each primary school student vs. gdp per capita recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 26.7% in 2015.
- What is the lowest share of gdp per capita spent by the government on each primary school student vs. gdp per capita recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.5% in 2006.
- How does Costa Rica rank for share of gdp per capita spent by the government on each primary school student vs. gdp per capita?
- Costa Rica ranks 26th out of 122 countries with data for 2018.
- Is share of gdp per capita spent by the government on each primary school student vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 28.4%. 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 (UIS), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of GDP per capita spent by the government on each primary school student vs. GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
GDP per capita data is adjusted for inflation and differences in living costs between countries.