Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban in Costa Rica

Costa Rica: Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban was 9.1% in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
9.1%
World rank
25th
of 38 countries
All-time high
13.2%
in 2004
All-time low
0.0%
in 2021
Years of data
21
2002–2024

Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban in Costa Rica, 2002–2024

0510152002201320242002: 12.4 %2003: 7.7 %2004: 13.2 %2005: 9.2 %2006: 5.9 %2007: 7.6 %2008: 9.6 %2009: 1.2 %2010: 3.9 %2011: 5.9 %2012: 4.6 %2013: 0.1 %2014: 4.4 %2015: 5 %2016: 5.6 %2017: 3.4 %2018: 3.9 %2019: 2.1 %2020: 4 %2021: 0 %2024: 9.1 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban in Costa Rica is 9.1%, measured in 2024.

The figure is up 105.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban in Costa Rica peaked at 13.2% in 2004 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 2021.

That places Costa Rica 25th out of 38 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban in Costa Rica, year by year

Annual values for Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban, fourth quintile, both sexes (household survey data) (%) in Costa Rica, 2002 to 2024.
Year % Change
2002 12.4%
2003 7.7% -37.9%
2004 13.2% +71.4%
2005 9.2% -30.3%
2006 5.9% -35.9%
2007 7.6% +28.8%
2008 9.6% +26.3%
2009 1.2% -87.5%
2010 3.9% +225.0%
2011 5.9% +51.8%
2012 4.6% -22.3%
2013 0.1% -97.8%
2014 4.4% +4300.0%
2015 5.0% +13.6%
2016 5.6% +12.0%
2017 3.4% -39.3%
2018 3.9% +15.8%
2019 2.1% -46.7%
2020 4.0% +90.5%
2021 0.0% -100.0%
2024 9.1%

Costa Rica compared with similar countries

  • Costa Rica's 9.1% is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.2%, 7.6× the median. (5 countries reporting)
  • Costa Rica's 9.1% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 7.8%, 1.2× the median. (16 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban in Costa Rica changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
2014 +4300.0% 0.1% 4.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 8.3% 1.2% 13.2% 8
2010s 3.9% 0.1% 5.9% 10
2020s 4.4% 0.0% 9.1% 3

Countries ranked near Costa Rica

  1. 22 Jordan 13.7% compare
  2. 23 Nepal 10.6% compare
  3. 24 El Salvador 9.9% compare
  4. 26 Paraguay 9.0% compare
  5. 27 Ecuador 8.5% compare
  6. 28 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 8.1% compare

See the full ranking of 38 places →

More education data for Costa Rica

All data for Costa Rica →

Frequently asked questions

What is out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban in Costa Rica?
Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban in Costa Rica was 9.1% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban recorded in Costa Rica?
The highest recorded value was 13.2% in 2004.
What is the lowest out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban recorded in Costa Rica?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 2021.
How does Costa Rica rank for out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban?
Costa Rica ranks 25th out of 38 countries with data for 2024.
Is out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban rising or falling in Costa Rica?
Over the last ten years it is up 105.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
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, urban, fourth quintile, both sexes (household survey data) (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 21 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban in Costa Rica. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-rate-for-youth-of-upper-secondary-school-age-urban-fourth-quintile-both-2/costa-rica/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://education.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-rate-for-youth-of-upper-secondary-school-age-urban-fourth-quintile-both-2/costa-rica/">Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban in Costa Rica</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban, fourth quintile, both sexes (household survey data) (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
38 places, 427 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release