Initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of GDP in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of GDP was 20.4% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of GDP in Costa Rica, 1999–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Costa Rica recorded 20.4% for initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp in 2023.
The figure is up 0.2% on the previous year and down 15.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp in Costa Rica peaked at 26.2% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 14.4%, in 2006.
That places Costa Rica 31st out of 127 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.
Initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of GDP in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 17.3% | — |
| 2000 | 15.5% | -10.3% |
| 2001 | 15.0% | -3.3% |
| 2002 | 16.3% | +8.8% |
| 2004 | 16.7% | +2.5% |
| 2006 | 14.4% | -14.0% |
| 2007 | 14.7% | +2.5% |
| 2008 | 16.0% | +8.7% |
| 2009 | 21.0% | +30.8% |
| 2010 | 24.1% | +14.8% |
| 2011 | 22.8% | -5.2% |
| 2012 | 24.3% | +6.3% |
| 2013 | 24.0% | -0.9% |
| 2014 | 24.3% | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 25.8% | +6.0% |
| 2016 | 24.0% | -6.9% |
| 2017 | 21.3% | -11.4% |
| 2018 | 19.9% | -6.4% |
| 2019 | 26.2% | +31.7% |
| 2020 | 23.0% | -12.3% |
| 2021 | 21.2% | -7.9% |
| 2022 | 20.3% | -4.0% |
| 2023 | 20.4% | +0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 17.3% | 17.3% | 17.3% | 1 |
| 2000s | 16.2% | 14.4% | 21.0% | 8 |
| 2010s | 23.7% | 19.9% | 26.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 21.2% | 20.3% | 23.0% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
- 28 San Marino 20.8% compare
- 29 Hong Kong, China 20.6% compare
- 30 South Africa 20.6% compare
- 32 Finland 20.2% compare
- 33 Denmark 20.2% compare
- 34 Dominican Republic 19.4% 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 initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp in Costa Rica?
- Initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp in Costa Rica was 20.4% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 26.2% in 2019.
- What is the lowest initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.4% in 2006.
- How does Costa Rica rank for initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp?
- Costa Rica ranks 31st out of 127 countries with data for 2023.
- Is initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.2%. 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 Initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release