Costa Rica: Current education expenditure, total (% of total expenditure in public institutions)

Key figures

Over five years it is down 0.27 percentage points from 97.4% in 2018. Since 2001 it is down 2.87 percentage points from 100% in 2001. The World Bank has no value for 13 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 1.8 percentage points in 2018 and the biggest yearly fall was 1.63 percentage points in 2019. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2016 to 2023 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.17 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 38% of the movement over 8 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 2023, Costa Rica had the 3rd highest value of the 11 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 2023 ranking

• Andorra — 1st of 11: 98.62%
• Serbia — 2nd of 11: 97.5%
• Barbados — 4th of 11: 96.16%
• Argentina — 5th of 11: 95.91%
• Uruguay — 6th of 11: 94.51%

What this measures

Current expenditure is expressed as a percentage of direct expenditure in public educational institutions (instructional and non-instructional) of the specified level of education. Financial aid to students and other transfers are excluded from direct expenditure. Current expenditure is consumed within the current year and would have to be renewed if needed in the following year. It includes staff compensation and current expenditure other than for staff compensation (ex. on teaching materials, ancillary services and administration).

Limitations: The indicator depends on comprehensive and accurate data regarding government expenditure by type and nature of spending. In some cases, data on total government expenditure on education only includes the Ministry of Education, excluding other ministries that may also allocate part of their budget to educational services.

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

All 10 values

Current education expenditure, total (% of total expenditure in public institutions) in nearby economies

• Argentina — 95.91% (2023)
• Aruba — 100% (2016)
• Barbados — 96.16% (2023)
• Bolivia — 94.25% (2024)
• Brazil — 95.27% (2022)
• Chile — 95.05% (2022)
• El Salvador — 88.01% (2024)
• Guatemala — 96.31% (2024)

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

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Questions people ask

What is Costa Rica's current education expenditure, total (% of total expenditure in public institutions)?

97.13% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2001?

It is down 2.87 percentage points from 100% in 2001. The highest value was 100% in 2001 and the lowest 95.6% in 2017.

How does Costa Rica rank?

3rd highest of 11 economies with data for 2023.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, 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..

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.XPD.CTOT.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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