Primary education, pupils in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Primary education, pupils was 460,126 in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
460,126
Change on year
down 3.0%
World rank
112th
of 206 countries
All-time high
569,513
in 1999
All-time low
342,373
in 1982
Years of data
54
1970–2024
Primary education, pupils in Costa Rica, 1970–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Analysis
Costa Rica recorded 460,126 for primary education, pupils in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.0% on the previous year and down 3.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary education, pupils in Costa Rica peaked at 569,513 in 1999 and was at its lowest, 342,373, in 1982.
That places Costa Rica 112th out of 206 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 54 years of available data.
Primary education, pupils in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 349,378 | — |
| 1971 | 356,152 | +1.9% |
| 1972 | 365,545 | +2.6% |
| 1973 | 373,901 | +2.3% |
| 1974 | 367,901 | -1.6% |
| 1975 | 361,303 | -1.8% |
| 1976 | 365,957 | +1.3% |
| 1977 | 367,026 | +0.3% |
| 1978 | 359,680 | -2.0% |
| 1979 | 353,894 | -1.6% |
| 1980 | 348,674 | -1.5% |
| 1981 | 348,616 | -0.0% |
| 1982 | 342,373 | -1.8% |
| 1983 | 343,800 | +0.4% |
| 1984 | 350,658 | +2.0% |
| 1985 | 362,877 | +3.5% |
| 1986 | 380,384 | +4.8% |
| 1987 | 393,305 | +3.4% |
| 1988 | 409,621 | +4.1% |
| 1989 | 422,102 | +3.0% |
| 1990 | 435,205 | +3.1% |
| 1991 | 453,297 | +4.2% |
| 1992 | 471,049 | +3.9% |
| 1993 | 484,958 | +3.0% |
| 1994 | 495,879 | +2.3% |
| 1995 | 507,037 | +2.3% |
| 1996 | 518,603 | +2.3% |
| 1997 | 525,273 | +1.3% |
| 1998 | 529,637 | +0.8% |
| 1999 | 569,513 | +7.5% |
| 2000 | 551,465 | -3.2% |
| 2001 | 552,302 | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 545,509 | -1.2% |
| 2004 | 558,084 | +2.3% |
| 2005 | 542,087 | -2.9% |
| 2006 | 546,542 | +0.8% |
| 2007 | 536,436 | -1.8% |
| 2008 | 534,816 | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 531,665 | -0.6% |
| 2010 | 520,609 | -2.1% |
| 2011 | 506,961 | -2.6% |
| 2012 | 494,720 | -2.4% |
| 2013 | 480,125 | -3.0% |
| 2014 | 475,731 | -0.9% |
| 2015 | 473,447 | -0.5% |
| 2016 | 475,756 | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 472,421 | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 483,770 | +2.4% |
| 2019 | 497,065 | +2.7% |
| 2020 | 492,761 | -0.9% |
| 2021 | 487,445 | -1.1% |
| 2022 | 482,118 | -1.1% |
| 2023 | 474,484 | -1.6% |
| 2024 | 460,126 | -3.0% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 460,126 is above the median for high income countries, which is 236,668, 1.9× the median. (78 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 460,126 is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 287,527, 1.6× the median. (39 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 362,074 | 349,378 | 373,901 | 10 |
| 1980s | 370,241 | 342,373 | 422,102 | 10 |
| 1990s | 499,045 | 435,205 | 569,513 | 10 |
| 2000s | 544,323 | 531,665 | 558,084 | 9 |
| 2010s | 488,060 | 472,421 | 520,609 | 10 |
| 2020s | 479,387 | 460,126 | 492,761 | 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 primary education, pupils in Costa Rica?
- Primary education, pupils in Costa Rica was 460,126 in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest primary education, pupils recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 569,513 in 1999.
- What is the lowest primary education, pupils recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 342,373 in 1982.
- How does Costa Rica rank for primary education, pupils?
- Costa Rica ranks 112th out of 206 countries with data for 2024.
- Is primary education, pupils rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.3%. 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 Primary education, pupils. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 54 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Primary education pupils is the total number of pupils enrolled at primary level in public and private schools.