Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, poorest in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, poorest was 13.4% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, poorest in Costa Rica, 2002–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, poorest in Costa Rica is 13.4%, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 18 years on record.
The figure is down 15.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, poorest in Costa Rica peaked at 51.6% in 2011 and was at its lowest, 13.4%, in 2024.
That places Costa Rica 35th out of 42 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 18 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, poorest in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 40.9% | — |
| 2003 | 39.2% | -4.2% |
| 2004 | 31.6% | -19.4% |
| 2005 | 30.9% | -2.2% |
| 2006 | 34.4% | +11.3% |
| 2007 | 25.9% | -24.7% |
| 2008 | 30.4% | +17.4% |
| 2009 | 26.0% | -14.5% |
| 2010 | 26.2% | +0.8% |
| 2011 | 51.6% | +96.9% |
| 2012 | 25.1% | -51.4% |
| 2013 | 23.7% | -5.6% |
| 2014 | 15.8% | -33.3% |
| 2015 | 17.3% | +9.5% |
| 2016 | 23.1% | +33.5% |
| 2017 | 15.7% | -32.0% |
| 2018 | 20.2% | +28.8% |
| 2024 | 13.4% | -33.9% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 13.4% is above the median for high income countries, which is 7.3%, 1.8× the median. (7 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 13.4% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 17.7%, 75% of the median. (16 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 32.4% | 25.9% | 40.9% | 8 |
| 2010s | 24.3% | 15.7% | 51.6% | 9 |
| 2020s | 13.4% | 13.4% | 13.4% | 1 |
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 youth of upper secondary school age, poorest in Costa Rica?
- Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, poorest in Costa Rica was 13.4% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, poorest recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 51.6% in 2011.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, poorest recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.4% in 2024.
- How does Costa Rica rank for out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, poorest?
- Costa Rica ranks 35th out of 42 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, poorest rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.4%. 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 youth of upper secondary school age, poorest quintile, both sexes (household survey data) (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 18 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release