Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Share of children in primary school age who are in school was 95.5% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Costa Rica, 1820–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of children in primary school age who are in school in Costa Rica is 95.5%, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of up 0.3% on the previous year and up 5.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children in primary school age who are in school in Costa Rica peaked at 97.0% in 2011 and was at its lowest, 2.1%, in 1820.
That places Costa Rica 114th out of 209 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 2.4% | 2.1% | 2.6% | 2 |
| 1830s | 3.8% | 3.4% | 4.2% | 2 |
| 1840s | 6.0% | 5.3% | 6.7% | 2 |
| 1850s | 9.4% | 8.4% | 10.5% | 2 |
| 1860s | 14.5% | 13.0% | 16.0% | 2 |
| 1870s | 21.6% | 19.5% | 23.6% | 2 |
| 1880s | 30.9% | 28.3% | 33.5% | 2 |
| 1890s | 42.1% | 39.1% | 45.0% | 2 |
| 1900s | 35.0% | 34.8% | 35.2% | 2 |
| 1910s | 44.8% | 40.5% | 49.0% | 2 |
| 1920s | 46.1% | 45.5% | 46.8% | 2 |
| 1930s | 58.4% | 55.0% | 61.8% | 2 |
| 1940s | 66.6% | 63.3% | 70.0% | 2 |
| 1950s | 78.3% | 68.5% | 88.1% | 2 |
| 1960s | 85.0% | 81.0% | 89.0% | 2 |
| 1970s | 90.5% | 89.0% | 92.0% | 2 |
| 1980s | 90.0% | 90.0% | 90.0% | 1 |
| 2010s | 93.2% | 90.1% | 97.0% | 9 |
| 2020s | 94.7% | 93.9% | 95.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
More education data for Costa Rica
- Duration of pre-primary education 2 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 4 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 68.9% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 18.3% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 104.8% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 43,058 (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 1.32 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 104.7% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children in primary school age who are in school in Costa Rica?
- Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Costa Rica was 95.5% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 97.0% in 2011.
- What is the lowest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.1% in 1820.
- How does Costa Rica rank for share of children in primary school age who are in school?
- Costa Rica ranks 114th out of 209 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of children in primary school age who are in school rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of children in primary school age who are in school. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The share of children of primary school age (typically 6–11 years) who are enrolled in primary education.