Percentage of teachers in primary education who are female in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Percentage of teachers in primary education who are female was 79.6% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
79.6%
Change on year
up 0.5%
World rank
94th
of 212 countries
All-time high
81.2%
in 1998
All-time low
70.7%
in 1971
Years of data
32
1970–2024
Percentage of teachers in primary education who are female in Costa Rica, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for percentage of teachers in primary education who are female in Costa Rica is 79.6%, measured in 2024.
The figure is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 0.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of teachers in primary education who are female in Costa Rica peaked at 81.2% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 70.7%, in 1971.
Costa Rica ranks 94th of 212 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 32 years of available data.
Percentage of teachers in primary education who are female in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 74.5% | — |
| 1971 | 70.7% | -5.2% |
| 1976 | 74.2% | +5.0% |
| 1981 | 78.8% | +6.2% |
| 1991 | 79.7% | +1.2% |
| 1996 | 78.4% | -1.7% |
| 1997 | 81.2% | +3.6% |
| 1998 | 81.2% | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 80.6% | -0.7% |
| 2000 | 80.4% | -0.3% |
| 2001 | 78.8% | -2.0% |
| 2002 | 79.7% | +1.2% |
| 2004 | 79.1% | -0.8% |
| 2005 | 79.0% | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 79.7% | +0.8% |
| 2007 | 79.8% | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 80.0% | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 80.2% | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 80.2% | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 80.1% | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 79.6% | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 79.6% | -0.0% |
| 2015 | 79.1% | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 78.9% | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 79.1% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 79.0% | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 78.8% | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 78.9% | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 78.9% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 78.9% | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 79.2% | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 79.6% | +0.5% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 79.6% is below the median for high income countries, which is 84.3%, 94% of the median. (75 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 79.6% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 81.2%, 98% of the median. (38 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 73.1% | 70.7% | 74.5% | 3 |
| 1980s | 78.8% | 78.8% | 78.8% | 1 |
| 1990s | 80.2% | 78.4% | 81.2% | 5 |
| 2000s | 79.6% | 78.8% | 80.4% | 9 |
| 2010s | 79.4% | 78.8% | 80.2% | 9 |
| 2020s | 79.1% | 78.9% | 79.6% | 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 teachers in primary education who are female in Costa Rica?
- Percentage of teachers in primary education who are female in Costa Rica was 79.6% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest percentage of teachers in primary education who are female recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 81.2% in 1998.
- What is the lowest percentage of teachers in primary education who are female recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 70.7% in 1971.
- How does Costa Rica rank for percentage of teachers in primary education who are female?
- Costa Rica ranks 94th out of 212 countries with data for 2024.
- Is percentage of teachers in primary education who are female rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.1%. 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 Percentage of teachers in primary education who are female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release