Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Costa Rica

Costa Rica: Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from was 21.7% in 2019. ▼ Falling

Latest (2019)
21.7%
Change on year
down 3.1%
World rank
15th
of 98 countries
All-time high
34.5%
in 2002
All-time low
21.3%
in 2016
Years of data
10
2001–2019

Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Costa Rica, 2001–2019

01020302001201020192001: 32.5 %2002: 34.5 %2007: 32.7 %2010: 28.4 %2011: 26.2 %2015: 23.1 %2016: 21.3 %2017: 21.7 %2018: 22.4 %2019: 21.7 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

Costa Rica recorded 21.7% for percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in 2019.

The figure is down 3.1% on the previous year and down 23.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Costa Rica peaked at 34.5% in 2002 and was at its lowest, 21.3%, in 2016.

That places Costa Rica 15th out of 98 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 10 years of available data.

Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Costa Rica, year by year

Annual values for Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from Education programmes, both sexes (%) in Costa Rica, 2001 to 2019.
Year % Change
2001 32.5%
2002 34.5% +6.0%
2007 32.7% -5.0%
2010 28.4% -13.1%
2011 26.2% -7.9%
2015 23.1% -11.9%
2016 21.3% -7.9%
2017 21.7% +2.3%
2018 22.4% +3.1%
2019 21.7% -3.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 33.2% 32.5% 34.5% 3
2010s 23.5% 21.3% 28.4% 7

Countries ranked near Costa Rica

  1. 12 Palestine 22.9% compare
  2. 13 Panama 22.8% compare
  3. 14 Azerbaijan 22.8% compare
  4. 16 Poland 20.6% compare
  5. 17 South Africa 20.4% compare
  6. 18 Cyprus 19.6% compare

See the full ranking of 98 places →

More education data for Costa Rica

All data for Costa Rica →

Frequently asked questions

What is percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Costa Rica?
Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Costa Rica was 21.7% in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from recorded in Costa Rica?
The highest recorded value was 34.5% in 2002.
What is the lowest percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from recorded in Costa Rica?
The lowest recorded value was 21.3% in 2016.
How does Costa Rica rank for percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from?
Costa Rica ranks 15th out of 98 countries with data for 2019.
Is percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from rising or falling in Costa Rica?
Over the last ten years it is down 23.7%. 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 graduates from tertiary education graduating from Education programmes, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Costa Rica. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 01 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/percentage-of-graduates-from-tertiary-education-graduating-from-education-programmes-both/costa-rica/

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About this data

Indicator
Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from Education programmes, both sexes (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
98 places, 1,156 data points, 1998–2020
Last refreshed

Share of all tertiary graduates who completed education programmes in the reference year.