Share enrolled in private institutions at the pre-primary education level in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Share enrolled in private institutions at the pre-primary education level was 12.6% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Share enrolled in private institutions at the pre-primary education level in Costa Rica, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, share enrolled in private institutions at the pre-primary education level in Costa Rica stood at 12.6%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.0% on the previous year and up 6.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share enrolled in private institutions at the pre-primary education level in Costa Rica peaked at 18.3% in 1997 and was at its lowest, 7.8%, in 1987.
That places Costa Rica 157th out of 211 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 51 years of available data.
Share enrolled in private institutions at the pre-primary education level in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 17.4% | — |
| 1971 | 16.1% | -7.4% |
| 1972 | 12.8% | -20.7% |
| 1973 | 14.4% | +12.3% |
| 1974 | 13.8% | -4.4% |
| 1975 | 11.1% | -19.5% |
| 1976 | 10.4% | -6.4% |
| 1977 | 10.1% | -2.0% |
| 1980 | 12.9% | +26.8% |
| 1981 | 8.6% | -33.2% |
| 1982 | 11.4% | +32.8% |
| 1983 | 11.0% | -3.9% |
| 1984 | 10.9% | -0.3% |
| 1985 | 10.7% | -2.1% |
| 1986 | 11.7% | +9.2% |
| 1987 | 7.8% | -33.2% |
| 1988 | 10.7% | +37.2% |
| 1989 | 11.4% | +6.5% |
| 1990 | 10.9% | -4.2% |
| 1991 | 10.7% | -1.9% |
| 1992 | 10.2% | -4.8% |
| 1993 | 10.4% | +1.5% |
| 1994 | 11.3% | +8.7% |
| 1995 | 9.3% | -17.1% |
| 1996 | 10.0% | +7.6% |
| 1997 | 18.3% | +82.6% |
| 1998 | 8.7% | -52.5% |
| 1999 | 15.5% | +77.6% |
| 2000 | 15.9% | +3.1% |
| 2001 | 14.7% | -8.0% |
| 2002 | 14.7% | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 11.3% | -23.4% |
| 2005 | 10.0% | -11.5% |
| 2006 | 11.3% | +13.2% |
| 2008 | 12.5% | +11.3% |
| 2009 | 13.3% | +6.4% |
| 2010 | 12.5% | -6.3% |
| 2011 | 12.5% | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 12.2% | -2.7% |
| 2013 | 12.0% | -1.2% |
| 2014 | 11.9% | -0.9% |
| 2015 | 12.0% | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 12.1% | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 11.4% | -5.8% |
| 2018 | 10.2% | -10.4% |
| 2019 | 10.7% | +4.7% |
| 2020 | 11.5% | +7.3% |
| 2021 | 10.6% | -8.0% |
| 2022 | 11.7% | +11.0% |
| 2023 | 12.0% | +2.8% |
| 2024 | 12.6% | +5.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 13.3% | 10.1% | 17.4% | 8 |
| 1980s | 10.7% | 7.8% | 12.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 11.5% | 8.7% | 18.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 13.0% | 10.0% | 15.9% | 8 |
| 2010s | 11.7% | 10.2% | 12.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.7% | 10.6% | 12.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
More education data for Costa Rica
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 228,863 (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate -2.91 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 123,741 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual -5.22 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 221,811 (2019)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 2.17 % change on previous year (2019)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 34,294 (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 8,765 (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 119,754 (2019)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 2.39 % change on previous year (2019)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share enrolled in private institutions at the pre-primary education level in Costa Rica?
- Share enrolled in private institutions at the pre-primary education level in Costa Rica was 12.6% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share enrolled in private institutions at the pre-primary education level recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 18.3% in 1997.
- What is the lowest share enrolled in private institutions at the pre-primary education level recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.8% in 1987.
- How does Costa Rica rank for share enrolled in private institutions at the pre-primary education level?
- Costa Rica ranks 157th out of 211 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share enrolled in private institutions at the pre-primary education level rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share enrolled in private institutions at the pre-primary education level. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Private pre-primary education institutions are managed by private entities, such as NGOs, religious groups, or businesses, rather than public authorities, regardless of profit motive.