Average years of schooling in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Average years of schooling was 8.8 years in 2020. ▲ Rising
Average years of schooling in Costa Rica, 1913–2020
Source: Leandro Prados de la Escosura (2021) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2020, average years of schooling in Costa Rica stood at 8.8 years. That is the highest value across all 20 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, average years of schooling in Costa Rica peaked at 8.8 years in 2020 and was at its lowest, 2.01 years, in 1913.
That places Costa Rica 92nd out of 162 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 20 years of available data.
Average years of schooling in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1913 | 2.01 years | — |
| 1925 | 2.28 years | +13.5% |
| 1929 | 2.38 years | +4.3% |
| 1933 | 2.64 years | +10.8% |
| 1938 | 2.81 years | +6.5% |
| 1950 | 3.24 years | +15.3% |
| 1955 | 3.49 years | +7.8% |
| 1960 | 3.67 years | +5.1% |
| 1965 | 4.03 years | +9.8% |
| 1970 | 3.99 years | -1.0% |
| 1975 | 4.57 years | +14.6% |
| 1980 | 4.93 years | +7.9% |
| 1985 | 5.54 years | +12.4% |
| 1990 | 6 years | +8.3% |
| 1995 | 6.46 years | +7.6% |
| 2000 | 6.89 years | +6.7% |
| 2005 | 7.92 years | +15.0% |
| 2010 | 8.4 years | +6.0% |
| 2015 | 8.71 years | +3.7% |
| 2020 | 8.8 years | +1.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 2.01 years | 2.01 years | 2.01 years | 1 |
| 1920s | 2.33 years | 2.28 years | 2.38 years | 2 |
| 1930s | 2.72 years | 2.64 years | 2.81 years | 2 |
| 1950s | 3.37 years | 3.24 years | 3.49 years | 2 |
| 1960s | 3.85 years | 3.67 years | 4.03 years | 2 |
| 1970s | 4.28 years | 3.99 years | 4.57 years | 2 |
| 1980s | 5.23 years | 4.93 years | 5.54 years | 2 |
| 1990s | 6.23 years | 6 years | 6.46 years | 2 |
| 2000s | 7.41 years | 6.89 years | 7.92 years | 2 |
| 2010s | 8.55 years | 8.4 years | 8.71 years | 2 |
| 2020s | 8.8 years | 8.8 years | 8.8 years | 1 |
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 average years of schooling in Costa Rica?
- Average years of schooling in Costa Rica was 8.8 years in 2020, according to Leandro Prados de la Escosura (2021) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest average years of schooling recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 8.8 years in 2020.
- What is the lowest average years of schooling recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.01 years in 1913.
- How does Costa Rica rank for average years of schooling?
- Costa Rica ranks 92nd out of 162 countries with data for 2020.
- Is average years of schooling rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from Leandro Prados de la Escosura (2021) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Average years of schooling. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 20 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Average number of years of total schooling (primary, secondary, and tertiary) for the population aged 15 and over.