School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes (years) (both sexes) in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes (years) (both sexes) was 2.72 years in 2019. ▲ Rising
School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in Costa Rica, 2004–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2019, school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in Costa Rica stood at 2.72 years.
The figure is up 3.6% on the previous year and up 21.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in Costa Rica peaked at 2.72 years in 2017 and was at its lowest, 1.29 years, in 2004.
That places Costa Rica 79th out of 196 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 10 years of available data.
School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes (years) (both sexes) in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 1.29 years | — |
| 2011 | 2.23 years | +73.1% |
| 2012 | 2.33 years | +4.5% |
| 2013 | 2.38 years | +1.8% |
| 2014 | 2.52 years | +6.0% |
| 2015 | 2.56 years | +1.9% |
| 2016 | 2.58 years | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 2.72 years | +5.4% |
| 2018 | 2.62 years | -3.7% |
| 2019 | 2.72 years | +3.6% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 2.72 years is below the median for high income countries, which is 3.58 years, 76% of the median. (73 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 2.72 years is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 1.68 years, 1.6× the median. (39 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1.29 years | 1.29 years | 1.29 years | 1 |
| 2010s | 2.52 years | 2.23 years | 2.72 years | 9 |
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 school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in Costa Rica?
- School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in Costa Rica was 2.72 years in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 2.72 years in 2017.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.29 years in 2004.
- How does Costa Rica rank for school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes?
- Costa Rica ranks 79th out of 196 countries with data for 2019.
- Is school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 21.6%. 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, tertiary, both sexes (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 10 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release