Official entrance age to pre-primary education in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Official entrance age to pre-primary education was 4 years in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
4 years
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
14th
of 223 countries
All-time high
5 years
in 1997
All-time low
4 years
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
Official entrance age to pre-primary education in Costa Rica, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
Costa Rica recorded 4 years for official entrance age to pre-primary education in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 56 years on record.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, official entrance age to pre-primary education in Costa Rica peaked at 5 years in 1997 and was at its lowest, 4 years, in 1970.
Costa Rica ranks 14th of 223 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
Official entrance age to pre-primary education in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 4 years | — |
| 1971 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 1998 | 4 years | -20.0% |
| 1999 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 4 years | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4 years | 4 years | 4 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 4 years | 4 years | 4 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.1 years | 4 years | 5 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 4 years | 4 years | 4 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 4 years | 4 years | 4 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 4 years | 4 years | 4 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
- 14 Aruba 4 years compare
- 14 Benin 4 years compare
- 14 Bermuda 4 years compare
- 14 Bolivia 4 years compare
- 14 Brazil 4 years compare
- 14 Cameroon 4 years compare
- 14 Djibouti 4 years compare
- 14 Egypt 4 years compare
- 14 El Salvador 4 years compare
- 14 Equatorial Guinea 4 years compare
- 14 Eritrea 4 years compare
- 14 Ethiopia 4 years compare
- 14 Falkland Islands 4 years compare
- 14 Ghana 4 years compare
- 14 Greece 4 years compare
- 14 Guatemala 4 years compare
- 14 Guinea 4 years compare
- 14 Guyana 4 years compare
- 14 Iraq 4 years compare
- 14 Jordan 4 years compare
- 14 Kuwait 4 years compare
- 14 Libya 4 years compare
- 14 Malaysia 4 years compare
- 14 Maldives 4 years compare
- 14 Mali 4 years compare
- 14 Morocco 4 years compare
- 14 Nauru 4 years compare
- 14 Niger 4 years compare
- 14 Niue 4 years compare
- 14 Oman 4 years compare
- 14 Palestine 4 years compare
- 14 Panama 4 years compare
- 14 Saint Helena 4 years compare
- 14 Seychelles 4 years compare
- 14 Sudan 4 years compare
- 14 Suriname 4 years compare
- 14 Switzerland 4 years compare
- 14 Tonga 4 years compare
- 14 Turks and Caicos Islands 4 years compare
- 14 United Arab Emirates 4 years compare
- 14 Vanuatu 4 years compare
- 14 Western Sahara 4 years compare
- 14 Zimbabwe 4 years compare
More education data for Costa Rica
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 225,537 (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), annual growth rate -3.6 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), per capita 0.044 units per person (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 234,589 (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), annual growth rate -2.47 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), per capita 0.0457 units per person (2024)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is official entrance age to pre-primary education in Costa Rica?
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education in Costa Rica was 4 years in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest official entrance age to pre-primary education recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 5 years in 1997.
- What is the lowest official entrance age to pre-primary education recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 4 years in 1970.
- How does Costa Rica rank for official entrance age to pre-primary education?
- Costa Rica ranks 14th out of 223 countries with data for 2025.
- Is official entrance age to pre-primary education rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Official entrance age to pre-primary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Official entry age at which children are expected to start pre-primary education according to national legislation or policies.