Costa Rica: Primary education, teachers (% female)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Costa Rica's primary education, teachers (% female) rose 0.42 percentage points on 2023 (from 79.22% to 79.65%).

Across the 24 yearly changes before that (1971 to 2023), the average change was −0.08 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.1 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.5 standard deviations above 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 2.83 percentage points in 1997 and the biggest yearly fall was 3.86 percentage points in 1971. 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 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 19% of the movement over 10 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 2024, Costa Rica had the 50th highest value of the 105 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

• Monaco — 47th of 105: 80.51%
• Jordan — 48th of 105: 79.86%
• Finland — 49th of 105: 79.71%
• Ecuador — 51st of 105: 79.45%
• Qatar — 52nd of 105: 79.06%
• Viet Nam — 53rd of 105: 79.04%

What this measures

Female teachers as a percentage of total primary education teachers includes full-time and part-time teachers.

Limitations: The indicator measures the level of gender representation in the teaching profession, rather than the effectiveness and quality of teaching.

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

All 32 values

Primary education, teachers (% female) in nearby economies

• Antigua and Barbuda — 94.11% (2023)
• Aruba — 84.39% (2015)
• Bahamas, The — 91.12% (2024)
• Barbados — 76.76% (2024)
• Belize — 77.41% (2024)
• Bolivia — 65.58% (2024)
• Brazil — 89.08% (2024)
• British Virgin Islands — 92.71% (2024)
• Cayman Islands — 84.83% (2024)
• Chile — 81.26% (2024)
• Colombia

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 primary education, teachers (% female)?

79.65% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1970?

It is up 5.11 percentage points from 74.53% in 1970. The highest value was 81.19% in 1998 and the lowest 70.67% in 1971.

How does Costa Rica rank?

50th highest of 105 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in primary education, teachers (% female) unusual for Costa Rica?

In 2024, Costa Rica's primary education, teachers (% female) rose 0.42 percentage points on 2023 (from 79.22% to 79.65%). Across the 24 yearly changes before that (1971 to 2023), the average change was −0.08 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.1 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.5 standard deviations above 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.TCHR.FE.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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