Costa Rica: Children out of school, male (% of male primary school age)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Costa Rica's children out of school, male (% of male primary school age) fell 0.36 percentage points on 2023 (from 4.51% to 4.15%).

Across the 12 yearly changes before that (2012 to 2023), the average change was +0.16 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.78 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 2.43 percentage points in 2014 and the biggest yearly fall was 3.39 percentage points in 2018. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is downward, about 0.49 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 64% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2024, Costa Rica had the 48th highest value of the 71 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Costa Rica in the 2024 ranking

• Cuba — 44th of 71: 5.06%
• Dominican Republic — 45th of 71: 5.04%
• Jamaica — 46th of 71: 4.36%
• Brunei Darussalam — 48th of 71: 3.77%
• Belarus — 49th of 71: 3.56%
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 50th of 71: 3.55%

What this measures

Children out of school are the percentage of primary-school-age children who are not enrolled in primary or secondary school. Children in the official primary age group that are in preprimary education should be considered out of school.

Limitations: The administrative data used in the calculation of the rate of out-of-school children are based on enrolment at a specific date which can bias the results by either counting enrolled children who never attend school or by omitting those who enroll after the reference date for reporting enrolment data. Furthermore, children who drop out of school after the reference date are not counted as out of school. Discrepancies between enrolment and population data from different sources can also result in over- or underestimates of the rate.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 14 values

Children out of school, male (% of male primary school age) in nearby economies

• Bahamas, The — 15.5% (2024)
• Barbados — 17.83% (2024)
• Belize — 11.1% (2024)
• Bolivia — 9.24% (2024)
• Brazil — 2.53% (2024)
• British Virgin Islands — 24.03% (2024)
• Cayman Islands — 6.28% (2024)
• Chile — 1.3% (2024)
• Colombia — 7.84% (2022)

More education data for Costa Rica

• Primary school starting age (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 12 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 5 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 460,126 (2024)
• Secondary education, pupils — 464,490 (2024)
• School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 0.99 (2021)
• Primary education, teachers — 43,058 (2024)
• School enrollment, preprimary (% gross) — 95.24% (2021)
• School enrollment, primary, private (% of total primary)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Costa Rica's children out of school, male (% of male primary school age)?

4.15% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2011?

It is up 1.61 percentage points from 2.54% in 2011. The highest value was 9.73% in 2017 and the lowest 2.54% in 2011.

How does Costa Rica rank?

48th highest of 71 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in children out of school, male (% of male primary school age) unusual for Costa Rica?

In 2024, Costa Rica's children out of school, male (% of male primary school age) fell 0.36 percentage points on 2023 (from 4.51% to 4.15%). Across the 12 yearly changes before that (2012 to 2023), the average change was +0.16 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.78 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.PRM.UNER.MA.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://databrowser.uis.unesco.org/resources, note: The data are obtained through the UIS API. Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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