Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions was 44.7% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Costa Rica, 1999–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Costa Rica recorded 44.7% for percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.9% on the previous year and down 4.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Costa Rica peaked at 47.6% in 2002 and was at its lowest, 44.1%, in 2022.
Costa Rica ranks 74th of 149 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 22 years of available data.
Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 47.2% | — |
| 2000 | 46.6% | -1.3% |
| 2001 | 47.3% | +1.5% |
| 2002 | 47.6% | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 45.5% | -4.5% |
| 2007 | 45.5% | -0.0% |
| 2008 | 45.7% | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 46.6% | +2.0% |
| 2011 | 46.6% | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 47.2% | +1.3% |
| 2013 | 46.9% | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 46.7% | -0.5% |
| 2015 | 44.8% | -4.1% |
| 2016 | 46.6% | +4.1% |
| 2017 | 46.0% | -1.4% |
| 2018 | 45.9% | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 45.7% | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 45.1% | -1.4% |
| 2021 | 44.2% | -1.9% |
| 2022 | 44.1% | -0.3% |
| 2023 | 44.3% | +0.5% |
| 2024 | 44.7% | +0.9% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 44.7% is above the median for high income countries, which is 43.0%, 1.0× the median. (61 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 44.7% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 40.4%, 1.1× the median. (21 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 47.2% | 47.2% | 47.2% | 1 |
| 2000s | 46.4% | 45.5% | 47.6% | 7 |
| 2010s | 46.3% | 44.8% | 47.2% | 9 |
| 2020s | 44.5% | 44.1% | 45.1% | 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 percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Costa Rica?
- Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Costa Rica was 44.7% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 47.6% in 2002.
- What is the lowest percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 44.1% in 2022.
- How does Costa Rica rank for percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions?
- Costa Rica ranks 74th out of 149 countries with data for 2024.
- Is percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.1%. 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 Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release