Out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes was 19,701 in 2024. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes in Costa Rica, 2011–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes in Costa Rica is 19,701, measured in 2024.
The figure is down 6.8% on the previous year and down 52.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes in Costa Rica peaked at 45,307 in 2017 and was at its lowest, 14,145, in 2011.
That places Costa Rica 94th out of 204 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 14 years of available data.
Out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 14,145 | — |
| 2012 | 21,598 | +52.7% |
| 2013 | 30,022 | +39.0% |
| 2014 | 41,750 | +39.1% |
| 2015 | 38,932 | -6.7% |
| 2016 | 35,333 | -9.2% |
| 2017 | 45,307 | +28.2% |
| 2018 | 30,015 | -33.8% |
| 2019 | 21,545 | -28.2% |
| 2020 | 24,123 | +12.0% |
| 2021 | 27,816 | +15.3% |
| 2022 | 27,179 | -2.3% |
| 2023 | 21,131 | -22.3% |
| 2024 | 19,701 | -6.8% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 19,701 is above the median for high income countries, which is 3,450, 5.7× the median. (74 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 19,701 is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 14,029, 1.4× the median. (38 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 30,961 | 14,145 | 45,307 | 9 |
| 2020s | 23,990 | 19,701 | 27,816 | 5 |
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 out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes in Costa Rica?
- Out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes in Costa Rica was 19,701 in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 45,307 in 2017.
- What is the lowest out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 14,145 in 2011.
- How does Costa Rica rank for out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes?
- Costa Rica ranks 94th out of 204 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 52.8%. 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 Out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release