Survival rate to the last grade of primary education, both sexes in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Survival rate to the last grade of primary education, both sexes was 94.3% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
94.3%
Change on year
down 3.2%
World rank
81st
of 180 countries
All-time high
97.4%
in 2020
All-time low
65.4%
in 1974
Years of data
44
1970–2023
Survival rate to the last grade of primary education, both sexes in Costa Rica, 1970–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for survival rate to the last grade of primary education, both sexes in Costa Rica is 94.3%, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.2% on the previous year and up 4.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, survival rate to the last grade of primary education, both sexes in Costa Rica peaked at 97.4% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 65.4%, in 1974.
Costa Rica ranks 81st of 180 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 44 years of available data.
Survival rate to the last grade of primary education, both sexes in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 71.2% | — |
| 1971 | 72.1% | +1.3% |
| 1972 | 75.7% | +5.0% |
| 1973 | 68.4% | -9.6% |
| 1974 | 65.4% | -4.5% |
| 1975 | 77.1% | +17.9% |
| 1976 | 71.4% | -7.4% |
| 1977 | 73.6% | +3.1% |
| 1978 | 75.6% | +2.7% |
| 1979 | 70.2% | -7.0% |
| 1980 | 74.7% | +6.4% |
| 1981 | 70.4% | -5.8% |
| 1982 | 77.1% | +9.5% |
| 1983 | 78.8% | +2.2% |
| 1984 | 75.8% | -3.7% |
| 1985 | 80.6% | +6.3% |
| 1986 | 76.0% | -5.8% |
| 1987 | 78.8% | +3.7% |
| 1988 | 77.5% | -1.7% |
| 1989 | 78.9% | +1.8% |
| 1990 | 77.2% | -2.1% |
| 1991 | 79.4% | +2.8% |
| 1992 | 80.8% | +1.8% |
| 1993 | 83.2% | +2.9% |
| 1994 | 84.1% | +1.1% |
| 1995 | 83.0% | -1.2% |
| 1999 | 88.6% | +6.7% |
| 2000 | 90.5% | +2.1% |
| 2001 | 88.4% | -2.3% |
| 2004 | 83.6% | -5.5% |
| 2005 | 90.5% | +8.2% |
| 2006 | 83.8% | -7.3% |
| 2007 | 93.8% | +11.9% |
| 2008 | 94.2% | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 88.8% | -5.7% |
| 2010 | 91.0% | +2.5% |
| 2011 | 88.5% | -2.8% |
| 2012 | 87.7% | -0.8% |
| 2013 | 90.4% | +3.0% |
| 2014 | 93.9% | +3.9% |
| 2015 | 94.4% | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 93.3% | -1.1% |
| 2020 | 97.4% | +4.3% |
| 2023 | 94.3% | -3.2% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 94.3% is below the median for high income countries, which is 98.0%, 96% of the median. (59 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 94.3% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 89.7%, 1.1× the median. (33 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 72.1% | 65.4% | 77.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 76.9% | 70.4% | 80.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 82.3% | 77.2% | 88.6% | 7 |
| 2000s | 89.2% | 83.6% | 94.2% | 8 |
| 2010s | 91.3% | 87.7% | 94.4% | 7 |
| 2020s | 95.8% | 94.3% | 97.4% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
- 78 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 94.6% compare
- 79 Ecuador 94.4% compare
- 80 New Caledonia 94.3% compare
- 82 Netherlands 94.1% compare
- 83 Botswana 94.0% compare
- 84 Ukraine 93.6% compare
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 survival rate to the last grade of primary education, both sexes in Costa Rica?
- Survival rate to the last grade of primary education, both sexes in Costa Rica was 94.3% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest survival rate to the last grade of primary education, both sexes recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 97.4% in 2020.
- What is the lowest survival rate to the last grade of primary education, both sexes recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 65.4% in 1974.
- How does Costa Rica rank for survival rate to the last grade of primary education, both sexes?
- Costa Rica ranks 81st out of 180 countries with data for 2023.
- Is survival rate to the last grade of primary education, both sexes rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.3%. 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, published as part of Survival rate to the last grade of primary education, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release