Share of the population with tertiary education in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Share of the population with tertiary education was 19.5% in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Share of the population with tertiary education in Costa Rica, 1870–2020
Source: Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of the population with tertiary education in Costa Rica is 19.5%, measured in 2020.
The figure is down 6.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population with tertiary education in Costa Rica peaked at 20.8% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1870.
That places Costa Rica 42nd out of 111 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of the population with tertiary education in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 0.0% | — |
| 1875 | 0.0% | — |
| 1880 | 0.0% | — |
| 1885 | 0.0% | — |
| 1890 | 0.0% | — |
| 1895 | 0.0% | — |
| 1900 | 0.3% | — |
| 1905 | 0.5% | +66.7% |
| 1910 | 0.8% | +60.0% |
| 1915 | 1.0% | +25.0% |
| 1920 | 1.2% | +20.0% |
| 1925 | 1.3% | +8.3% |
| 1930 | 1.4% | +7.7% |
| 1935 | 1.6% | +14.3% |
| 1940 | 1.6% | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 1.7% | +6.2% |
| 1950 | 1.8% | +5.9% |
| 1955 | 2.0% | +11.1% |
| 1960 | 2.5% | +25.0% |
| 1965 | 3.1% | +24.0% |
| 1970 | 3.1% | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 6.1% | +96.8% |
| 1980 | 7.4% | +21.3% |
| 1985 | 10.2% | +37.8% |
| 1990 | 12.3% | +20.6% |
| 1995 | 14.2% | +15.4% |
| 2000 | 15.7% | +10.6% |
| 2005 | 19.4% | +23.6% |
| 2010 | 20.8% | +7.2% |
| 2015 | 19.9% | -4.3% |
| 2020 | 19.5% | -2.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1880s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1890s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1900s | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.5% | 2 |
| 1910s | 0.9% | 0.8% | 1.0% | 2 |
| 1920s | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1.3% | 2 |
| 1930s | 1.5% | 1.4% | 1.6% | 2 |
| 1940s | 1.6% | 1.6% | 1.7% | 2 |
| 1950s | 1.9% | 1.8% | 2.0% | 2 |
| 1960s | 2.8% | 2.5% | 3.1% | 2 |
| 1970s | 4.6% | 3.1% | 6.1% | 2 |
| 1980s | 8.8% | 7.4% | 10.2% | 2 |
| 1990s | 13.2% | 12.3% | 14.2% | 2 |
| 2000s | 17.5% | 15.7% | 19.4% | 2 |
| 2010s | 20.4% | 19.9% | 20.8% | 2 |
| 2020s | 19.5% | 19.5% | 19.5% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
More education data for Costa Rica
- 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)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 102,057 (2019)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number) 1.91 % change on previous year (2019)
- Theoretical duration of primary education (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of pre-primary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (pre-primary to post-secondary non) 0.0494 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the population with tertiary education in Costa Rica?
- Share of the population with tertiary education in Costa Rica was 19.5% in 2020, according to Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population with tertiary education recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 20.8% in 2010.
- What is the lowest share of the population with tertiary education recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1870.
- How does Costa Rica rank for share of the population with tertiary education?
- Costa Rica ranks 42nd out of 111 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of the population with tertiary education rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population with tertiary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of the population aged 25 to 65 years who have either completed or partially completed tertiary education.