Share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation was 71.9% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation in Costa Rica, 2016–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation in Costa Rica is 71.9%, measured in 2023.
The figure is up 0.4% on the previous year and down 11.5% over ten years.
That places Costa Rica 50th out of 116 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
Share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 81.2% | — |
| 2017 | 55.9% | -31.1% |
| 2018 | 57.5% | +2.8% |
| 2019 | 73.0% | +26.8% |
| 2020 | 71.7% | -1.7% |
| 2021 | 75.1% | +4.7% |
| 2022 | 71.6% | -4.7% |
| 2023 | 71.9% | +0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 66.9% | 55.9% | 81.2% | 4 |
| 2020s | 72.6% | 71.6% | 75.1% | 4 |
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 share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation in Costa Rica?
- Share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation in Costa Rica was 71.9% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 81.2% in 2016.
- What is the lowest share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 55.9% in 2017.
- How does Costa Rica rank for share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation?
- Costa Rica ranks 50th out of 116 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.5%. 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 total public education spending allocated to staff compensation. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Compensation for staff across all levels of education, both teaching and non-teaching, covers salaries, retirement contributions by employers, and additional benefits.