Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal was 8.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in Costa Rica, 2001–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in Costa Rica stood at 8.7%.
The figure is down 17.1% on the previous year and down 21.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in Costa Rica peaked at 13.2% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 6.4%, in 2001.
That places Costa Rica 25th out of 103 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 6.4% | — |
| 2002 | 6.5% | +1.4% |
| 2003 | 7.0% | +7.8% |
| 2004 | 7.5% | +7.8% |
| 2005 | 7.7% | +1.9% |
| 2006 | 7.5% | -2.9% |
| 2007 | 8.3% | +11.7% |
| 2008 | 8.8% | +5.7% |
| 2009 | 8.3% | -5.4% |
| 2010 | 10.2% | +22.4% |
| 2011 | 10.6% | +4.3% |
| 2012 | 12.3% | +15.5% |
| 2013 | 12.5% | +1.5% |
| 2014 | 11.1% | -10.7% |
| 2015 | 12.2% | +9.9% |
| 2016 | 10.5% | -14.2% |
| 2017 | 9.7% | -7.8% |
| 2018 | 10.9% | +12.3% |
| 2019 | 13.2% | +21.1% |
| 2020 | 12.8% | -3.3% |
| 2021 | 11.6% | -9.1% |
| 2022 | 11.8% | +1.9% |
| 2023 | 10.5% | -10.9% |
| 2024 | 8.7% | -17.1% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 8.7% is below the median for high income countries, which is 9.5%, 92% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 8.7% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 5.0%, 1.7× the median. (20 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 7.6% | 6.4% | 8.8% | 9 |
| 2010s | 11.3% | 9.7% | 13.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.1% | 8.7% | 12.8% | 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 participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in Costa Rica?
- Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in Costa Rica was 8.7% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 13.2% in 2019.
- What is the lowest participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.4% in 2001.
- How does Costa Rica rank for participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal?
- Costa Rica ranks 25th out of 103 countries with data for 2024.
- Is participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 21.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal education and training in the previous 12 months, 25-54 years old, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release