School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes (years) (life both) in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes (years) (life both) was 6 years in 2024. ▲ Rising
School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in Costa Rica, 2002–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in Costa Rica is 6 years, measured in 2024.
The figure is down 2.9% on the previous year and up 7.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in Costa Rica peaked at 6.74 years in 2021 and was at its lowest, 3.34 years, in 2002.
That places Costa Rica 96th out of 214 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.
School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes (years) (life both) in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 3.34 years | — |
| 2004 | 3.9 years | +16.7% |
| 2005 | 3.98 years | +2.0% |
| 2006 | 4.29 years | +7.8% |
| 2007 | 4.34 years | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 4.41 years | +1.7% |
| 2009 | 4.7 years | +6.7% |
| 2010 | 4.83 years | +2.7% |
| 2011 | 4.96 years | +2.7% |
| 2012 | 5.09 years | +2.7% |
| 2013 | 5.38 years | +5.7% |
| 2014 | 5.6 years | +4.0% |
| 2015 | 5.67 years | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 5.77 years | +1.8% |
| 2017 | 5.93 years | +2.7% |
| 2018 | 6.07 years | +2.4% |
| 2019 | 6.54 years | +7.7% |
| 2020 | 6.45 years | -1.3% |
| 2021 | 6.74 years | +4.5% |
| 2022 | 6.45 years | -4.3% |
| 2023 | 6.18 years | -4.1% |
| 2024 | 6 years | -2.9% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 6 years is below the median for high income countries, which is 6.57 years, 91% of the median. (76 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 6 years is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 5.14 years, 1.2× the median. (39 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 4.14 years | 3.34 years | 4.7 years | 7 |
| 2010s | 5.58 years | 4.83 years | 6.54 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.37 years | 6 years | 6.74 years | 5 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
- 93 Colombia 6.06 years compare
- 94 Sierra Leone 6.06 years compare
- 95 Turks and Caicos Islands 6.02 years compare
- 97 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 6 years compare
- 98 Israel 5.93 years compare
- 99 Bahrain 5.92 years 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 school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in Costa Rica?
- School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in Costa Rica was 6 years in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 6.74 years in 2021.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.34 years in 2002.
- How does Costa Rica rank for school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes?
- Costa Rica ranks 96th out of 214 countries with data for 2024.
- Is school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.2%. 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, published as part of School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 22 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release