Productivity vs. educational attainment in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Productivity vs. educational attainment was 27.29 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
27.29 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour
Change on year
up 5.6%
World rank
64th
of 130 countries
All-time high
28.88 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour
in 2020
All-time low
11.45 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour
in 1987
Years of data
37
1987–2023
Productivity vs. educational attainment in Costa Rica, 1987–2023
Source: Feenstra et al. – Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in international-$ in 2021 prices per hour.
Analysis
In 2023, productivity vs. educational attainment in Costa Rica stood at 27.29 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.6% on the previous year and up 49.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, productivity vs. educational attainment in Costa Rica peaked at 28.88 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour in 2020 and was at its lowest, 11.45 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour, in 1987.
Costa Rica ranks 64th of 130 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 37 years of available data.
Productivity vs. educational attainment in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 11.45 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | — |
| 1988 | 11.49 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +0.4% |
| 1989 | 11.67 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +1.6% |
| 1990 | 11.54 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -1.1% |
| 1991 | 11.95 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +3.5% |
| 1992 | 12.15 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +1.7% |
| 1993 | 12.66 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +4.2% |
| 1994 | 12.69 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 13.01 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +2.5% |
| 1996 | 12.26 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -5.7% |
| 1997 | 12.4 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +1.1% |
| 1998 | 13.22 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +6.6% |
| 1999 | 12.92 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -2.2% |
| 2000 | 13.01 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +0.7% |
| 2001 | 13.49 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +3.7% |
| 2002 | 13.25 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -1.8% |
| 2003 | 13.48 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +1.8% |
| 2004 | 13.56 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 14.27 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +5.2% |
| 2006 | 14.03 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -1.7% |
| 2007 | 14.09 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 14.54 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +3.2% |
| 2009 | 15.66 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +7.7% |
| 2010 | 16.3 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +4.0% |
| 2011 | 16.58 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +1.8% |
| 2012 | 18.26 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +10.1% |
| 2013 | 18.22 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 19.32 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +6.1% |
| 2015 | 20.3 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +5.0% |
| 2016 | 20.58 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +1.4% |
| 2017 | 22.28 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +8.2% |
| 2018 | 23.67 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +6.2% |
| 2019 | 25.82 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +9.1% |
| 2020 | 28.88 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +11.9% |
| 2021 | 27.33 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -5.4% |
| 2022 | 25.85 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -5.4% |
| 2023 | 27.29 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +5.6% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 27.29 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour is below the median for high income countries, which is 51.52 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour, 53% of the median. (51 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 27.29 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 19.38 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour, 1.4× the median. (16 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 11.54 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 11.45 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 11.67 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 3 |
| 1990s | 12.48 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 11.54 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 13.22 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 10 |
| 2000s | 13.94 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 13.01 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 15.66 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 10 |
| 2010s | 20.13 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 16.3 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 25.82 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 10 |
| 2020s | 27.34 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 25.85 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 28.88 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 4 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
- 61 Oman 29.44 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour compare
- 62 Egypt 28.79 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour compare
- 63 North Macedonia 27.97 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour compare
- 65 Mexico 26.8 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour compare
- 66 Armenia 25.99 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour compare
- 67 Algeria 25.87 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour 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 productivity vs. educational attainment in Costa Rica?
- Productivity vs. educational attainment in Costa Rica was 27.29 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour in 2023, according to Feenstra et al. – Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest productivity vs. educational attainment recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 28.88 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour in 2020.
- What is the lowest productivity vs. educational attainment recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.45 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour in 1987.
- How does Costa Rica rank for productivity vs. educational attainment?
- Costa Rica ranks 64th out of 130 countries with data for 2023.
- Is productivity vs. educational attainment rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 49.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from Feenstra et al. – Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Productivity vs. educational attainment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 37 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Productivity is calculated as GDP divided by the total number of hours worked in the economy. This data is adjusted for inflation and differences in living costs between countries.