Share of the population with lower secondary education in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Share of the population with lower secondary education was 52.4% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of the population with lower secondary education in Costa Rica, 1973–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of the population with lower secondary education in Costa Rica is 52.4%, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.3% on the previous year and down 4.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population with lower secondary education in Costa Rica peaked at 55.4% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 16.9%, in 1973.
Costa Rica ranks 101st of 135 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
Share of the population with lower secondary education in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 16.9% | — |
| 2001 | 36.5% | +116.1% |
| 2002 | 37.4% | +2.3% |
| 2003 | 38.5% | +2.9% |
| 2004 | 38.7% | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 39.9% | +3.1% |
| 2006 | 40.1% | +0.5% |
| 2007 | 47.7% | +18.9% |
| 2008 | 49.8% | +4.4% |
| 2009 | 50.1% | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 49.0% | -2.2% |
| 2011 | 50.1% | +2.3% |
| 2012 | 50.8% | +1.4% |
| 2013 | 45.0% | -11.4% |
| 2014 | 54.7% | +21.5% |
| 2015 | 53.1% | -2.9% |
| 2016 | 53.1% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 45.7% | -13.9% |
| 2018 | 54.6% | +19.4% |
| 2019 | 47.4% | -13.1% |
| 2020 | 55.4% | +17.0% |
| 2021 | 49.2% | -11.3% |
| 2022 | 50.1% | +1.8% |
| 2023 | 51.2% | +2.2% |
| 2024 | 52.4% | +2.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 16.9% | 16.9% | 16.9% | 1 |
| 2000s | 42.1% | 36.5% | 50.1% | 9 |
| 2010s | 50.3% | 45.0% | 54.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 51.7% | 49.2% | 55.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
More education data for Costa Rica
- 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)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 460,126 (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth -3.03 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), per capita 0.0897 units per person (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 225,537 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the population with lower secondary education in Costa Rica?
- Share of the population with lower secondary education in Costa Rica was 52.4% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population with lower secondary education recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 55.4% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of the population with lower secondary education recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.9% in 1973.
- How does Costa Rica rank for share of the population with lower secondary education?
- Costa Rica ranks 101st out of 135 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of the population with lower secondary education rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.2%. 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 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population with lower secondary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of adults aged 25 and older who have completed lower secondary education or higher.