Persistence to last grade of primary, total in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Persistence to last grade of primary, total was 94.3% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Persistence to last grade of primary, total in Costa Rica, 1970–2023
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of cohort.
Analysis
In 2023, persistence to last grade of primary, total in Costa Rica stood at 94.3%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.2% on the previous year and up 4.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, persistence to last grade of primary, total in Costa Rica peaked at 97.4% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 65.4%, in 1974.
Costa Rica ranks 79th of 179 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 44 years of available data.
Persistence to last grade of primary, total in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | % of cohort | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 71.2% | — |
| 1971 | 72.1% | +1.3% |
| 1972 | 75.7% | +5.0% |
| 1973 | 68.4% | -9.6% |
| 1974 | 65.4% | -4.5% |
| 1975 | 77.1% | +17.9% |
| 1976 | 71.4% | -7.4% |
| 1977 | 73.6% | +3.1% |
| 1978 | 75.6% | +2.7% |
| 1979 | 70.2% | -7.0% |
| 1980 | 74.7% | +6.4% |
| 1981 | 70.4% | -5.8% |
| 1982 | 77.1% | +9.5% |
| 1983 | 78.8% | +2.2% |
| 1984 | 75.8% | -3.7% |
| 1985 | 80.6% | +6.3% |
| 1986 | 76.0% | -5.8% |
| 1987 | 78.8% | +3.7% |
| 1988 | 77.5% | -1.7% |
| 1989 | 78.9% | +1.8% |
| 1990 | 77.2% | -2.1% |
| 1991 | 79.4% | +2.8% |
| 1992 | 80.8% | +1.8% |
| 1993 | 83.2% | +2.9% |
| 1994 | 84.1% | +1.1% |
| 1995 | 83.0% | -1.2% |
| 1999 | 88.6% | +6.7% |
| 2000 | 90.5% | +2.1% |
| 2001 | 88.4% | -2.3% |
| 2004 | 83.6% | -5.5% |
| 2005 | 90.5% | +8.2% |
| 2006 | 83.8% | -7.3% |
| 2007 | 93.8% | +11.9% |
| 2008 | 94.2% | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 88.8% | -5.7% |
| 2010 | 91.0% | +2.5% |
| 2011 | 88.5% | -2.8% |
| 2012 | 87.7% | -0.8% |
| 2013 | 90.4% | +3.0% |
| 2014 | 93.9% | +3.9% |
| 2015 | 94.4% | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 93.3% | -1.1% |
| 2020 | 97.4% | +4.3% |
| 2023 | 94.3% | -3.2% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 94.3% is below the median for high income countries, which is 98.0%, 96% of the median. (59 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 94.3% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 89.7%, 1.1× the median. (33 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 72.1% | 65.4% | 77.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 76.9% | 70.4% | 80.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 82.3% | 77.2% | 88.6% | 7 |
| 2000s | 89.2% | 83.6% | 94.2% | 8 |
| 2010s | 91.3% | 87.7% | 94.4% | 7 |
| 2020s | 95.8% | 94.3% | 97.4% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
- 76 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 94.6% compare
- 77 Ecuador 94.4% compare
- 78 New Caledonia 94.3% compare
- 80 Netherlands 94.1% compare
- 81 Botswana 94.0% compare
- 82 Ukraine 93.6% compare
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 persistence to last grade of primary, total in Costa Rica?
- Persistence to last grade of primary, total in Costa Rica was 94.3% in 2023, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest persistence to last grade of primary, total recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 97.4% in 2020.
- What is the lowest persistence to last grade of primary, total recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 65.4% in 1974.
- How does Costa Rica rank for persistence to last grade of primary, total?
- Costa Rica ranks 79th out of 179 countries with data for 2023.
- Is persistence to last grade of primary, total rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Persistence to last grade of primary, total (% of cohort). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Persistence to last grade of primary is the percentage of children enrolled in the first grade of primary school who eventually reach the last grade of primary education. The estimate is based on the reconstructed cohort method.