Share enrolled in private institutions at the primary education level in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Share enrolled in private institutions at the primary education level was 10.0% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share enrolled in private institutions at the primary education level in Costa Rica, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Costa Rica recorded 10.0% for share enrolled in private institutions at the primary education level in 2024. That is the highest value across all 50 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.9% on the previous year and up 14.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share enrolled in private institutions at the primary education level in Costa Rica peaked at 10.0% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 2.6%, in 1980.
Costa Rica ranks 118th of 212 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 50 years of available data.
Share enrolled in private institutions at the primary education level in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 3.5% | — |
| 1971 | 3.6% | +1.5% |
| 1972 | 3.6% | +0.9% |
| 1973 | 3.8% | +4.8% |
| 1974 | 3.8% | -0.6% |
| 1975 | 3.7% | -1.8% |
| 1980 | 2.6% | -29.5% |
| 1981 | 2.7% | +2.8% |
| 1982 | 2.9% | +7.5% |
| 1983 | 3.1% | +6.5% |
| 1984 | 3.1% | +1.8% |
| 1985 | 3.5% | +10.9% |
| 1986 | 3.5% | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 4.0% | +15.0% |
| 1988 | 4.4% | +9.8% |
| 1989 | 4.5% | +2.1% |
| 1990 | 4.7% | +4.1% |
| 1991 | 4.7% | +1.4% |
| 1992 | 4.9% | +3.5% |
| 1993 | 4.8% | -1.6% |
| 1994 | 4.9% | +1.1% |
| 1995 | 5.0% | +2.4% |
| 1996 | 5.4% | +9.0% |
| 1997 | 5.6% | +2.5% |
| 1998 | 6.8% | +21.7% |
| 1999 | 6.7% | -1.7% |
| 2000 | 6.9% | +3.5% |
| 2001 | 6.8% | -1.1% |
| 2002 | 7.0% | +2.4% |
| 2004 | 6.9% | -1.8% |
| 2005 | 6.1% | -10.9% |
| 2006 | 7.0% | +15.1% |
| 2007 | 7.5% | +6.9% |
| 2008 | 7.8% | +3.7% |
| 2009 | 8.1% | +4.0% |
| 2010 | 8.1% | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 8.5% | +4.3% |
| 2012 | 8.5% | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 8.9% | +5.0% |
| 2014 | 8.8% | -1.4% |
| 2015 | 9.0% | +2.5% |
| 2016 | 9.1% | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 9.1% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 8.9% | -1.7% |
| 2019 | 8.8% | -1.7% |
| 2020 | 9.0% | +2.5% |
| 2021 | 8.5% | -5.0% |
| 2022 | 9.3% | +8.5% |
| 2023 | 9.7% | +4.9% |
| 2024 | 10.0% | +2.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3.7% | 3.5% | 3.8% | 6 |
| 1980s | 3.4% | 2.6% | 4.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.3% | 4.7% | 6.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.1% | 6.1% | 8.1% | 9 |
| 2010s | 8.7% | 8.1% | 9.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.3% | 8.5% | 10.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
- 115 Luxembourg 10.3% compare
- 116 Mexico 10.2% compare
- 117 Bolivia 10.1% compare
- 119 Trinidad and Tobago 9.8% compare
- 120 United States 9.7% compare
- 121 Philippines 9.5% compare
More education data for Costa Rica
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 464,490 (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth -3.18 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 43,058 (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate -1.92 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 235,627 (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate -3.45 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 228,863 (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate -2.91 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 123,741 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual -5.22 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share enrolled in private institutions at the primary education level in Costa Rica?
- Share enrolled in private institutions at the primary education level in Costa Rica was 10.0% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share enrolled in private institutions at the primary education level recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 10.0% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share enrolled in private institutions at the primary education level recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.6% in 1980.
- How does Costa Rica rank for share enrolled in private institutions at the primary education level?
- Costa Rica ranks 118th out of 212 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share enrolled in private institutions at the primary education level rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.1%. 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 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share enrolled in private institutions at the primary education level. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 50 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Private primary institutions are managed by private entities, such as NGOs, religious groups, or businesses, rather than public authorities, regardless of profit motive.