Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes was 4.5% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Costa Rica, 2011–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Costa Rica is 4.5%, measured in 2024.
The figure is down 5.1% on the previous year and down 50.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Costa Rica peaked at 9.9% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 3.0%, in 2011.
That places Costa Rica 94th out of 203 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 rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 3.0% | — |
| 2012 | 4.7% | +54.8% |
| 2013 | 6.6% | +40.4% |
| 2014 | 9.1% | +38.5% |
| 2015 | 8.5% | -6.5% |
| 2016 | 7.8% | -8.9% |
| 2017 | 9.9% | +27.4% |
| 2018 | 6.5% | -33.9% |
| 2019 | 4.7% | -27.9% |
| 2020 | 5.3% | +12.4% |
| 2021 | 6.1% | +15.4% |
| 2022 | 6.0% | -2.1% |
| 2023 | 4.7% | -21.0% |
| 2024 | 4.5% | -5.1% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 4.5% is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.8%, 2.5× the median. (74 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 4.5% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 5.1%, 89% of the median. (38 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 6.8% | 3.0% | 9.9% | 9 |
| 2020s | 5.3% | 4.5% | 6.1% | 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 rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Costa Rica?
- Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Costa Rica was 4.5% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 9.9% in 2017.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.0% in 2011.
- How does Costa Rica rank for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes?
- Costa Rica ranks 94th out of 203 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 50.9%. 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 rate for children of primary school age, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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