Costa Rica: Over-age students, primary (% of enrollment)

Key figures

Over five years it is up 1.05 percentage points from 12.63% in 2013. Since 1970 it is down 5.15 percentage points from 18.82% in 1970. The World Bank has no value for 20 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2018, Costa Rica's over-age students, primary (% of enrollment) rose 4.5 percentage points on 2017 (from 9.17% to 13.68%).

Across the 21 yearly changes before that (1973 to 2017), the average change was −0.27 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.87 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 5.5 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 4.5 percentage points in 2018 and the biggest yearly fall was 2.93 percentage points in 2017. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2011 to 2018 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 3% of the movement over 8 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

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

How it compares

In 2018, Costa Rica had the 19th highest value of the 77 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 2018 ranking

• Ghana — 16th of 77: 15.43%
• Colombia — 17th of 77: 15.19%
• Cambodia — 18th of 77: 13.9%
• El Salvador — 20th of 77: 13.2%
• Morocco — 21st of 77: 12.98%
• Bhutan — 22nd of 77: 11.54%

What this measures

Over-age students are the percentage of those enrolled who are older than the official school-age range for primary education.

All 29 values

Over-age students, primary (% of enrollment) in nearby economies

• Antigua and Barbuda — 3.58% (2018)
• Argentina — 6.44% (2017)
• Bahamas, The — 8.52% (2018)
• Barbados — 1.9% (2018)
• Belize — 8.66% (2018)
• Bolivia — 5.38% (2018)
• Brazil — 14.46% (2017)
• British Virgin Islands — 4.86% (2017)
• Cayman Islands — 1.77% (2018)
• Chile — 6.56% (2017)

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 over-age students, primary (% of enrollment)?

13.68% in 2018, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1970?

It is down 5.15 percentage points from 18.82% in 1970. The highest value was 18.82% in 1970 and the lowest 9.17% in 2017.

How does Costa Rica rank?

19th highest of 77 economies with data for 2018.

Is the latest change in over-age students, primary (% of enrollment) unusual for Costa Rica?

In 2018, Costa Rica's over-age students, primary (% of enrollment) rose 4.5 percentage points on 2017 (from 9.17% to 13.68%). Across the 21 yearly changes before that (1973 to 2017), the average change was −0.27 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.87 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 5.5 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.PRM.OENR.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://uis.unesco.org/bdds, publisher: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) 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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