Share of students achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower secondary education in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Share of students achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower secondary education was 52.9% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Share of students achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower secondary education in Costa Rica, 2009–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Costa Rica recorded 52.9% for share of students achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower secondary education in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 5 years on record.
That represents a change of down 21.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of students achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower secondary education in Costa Rica peaked at 67.6% in 2012 and was at its lowest, 52.9%, in 2022.
Costa Rica ranks 45th of 59 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
Share of students achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower secondary education in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 67.4% | — |
| 2012 | 67.6% | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 59.7% | -11.7% |
| 2018 | 58.0% | -2.8% |
| 2022 | 52.9% | -8.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 67.4% | 67.4% | 67.4% | 1 |
| 2010s | 61.8% | 58.0% | 67.6% | 3 |
| 2020s | 52.9% | 52.9% | 52.9% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
More education data for Costa Rica
- 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)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of students achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower secondary education in Costa Rica?
- Share of students achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower secondary education in Costa Rica was 52.9% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of students achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower secondary education recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 67.6% in 2012.
- What is the lowest share of students achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower secondary education recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 52.9% in 2022.
- How does Costa Rica rank for share of students achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower secondary education?
- Costa Rica ranks 45th out of 59 countries with data for 2022.
- Is share of students achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower secondary education rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 21.7%. 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 of students achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower secondary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of students who achieve minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower secondary education. This data includes only students enrolled in school.