Costa Rica: Secondary education, vocational pupils

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2018, Costa Rica's secondary education, vocational pupils fell 4.8% on 2017 (from 114,071 to 108,578).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1986 to 2017), the average change was +5% and a typical year strayed about 6.2% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.6 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 45.3% in 1973 and the biggest yearly fall was 8.6% in 1983. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2009 to 2018 the straight-line trend is upward, about 7,026 a year. A straight line explains 88% 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 2018, Costa Rica had the 19th highest value of the 64 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

• Azerbaijan — 16th of 64: 152,777
• Mali — 17th of 64: 127,718
• Côte d'Ivoire — 18th of 64: 116,644
• Sri Lanka — 20th of 64: 105,865
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 21st of 64: 94,557
• El Salvador — 22nd of 64: 91,653

What this measures

Secondary vocational pupils are the number of secondary students enrolled in technical and vocational education programs, including teacher training.

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

All 48 values

Secondary education, vocational pupils in nearby economies

• Antigua and Barbuda — 282 (2018)
• Belize — 3,301 (2018)
• Bolivia — 788,570 (2018)
• Brazil — 956,632 (2017)
• British Virgin Islands — 79 (2017)
• Chile — 292,757 (2017)
• Colombia — 362,733 (2018)
• Cuba — 207,590 (2018)
• Dominica — 0 (2015)
• Dominican Republic — 75,571 (2018)
• Ecuador

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 secondary education, vocational pupils?

108,578 in 2018, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1970?

It is up 1,713% from 5,989 in 1970 (6.22% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 114,071 in 2017 and the lowest 5,989 in 1970.

How does Costa Rica rank?

19th highest of 64 economies with data for 2018.

Is the latest change in secondary education, vocational pupils unusual for Costa Rica?

In 2018, Costa Rica's secondary education, vocational pupils fell 4.8% on 2017 (from 114,071 to 108,578). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1986 to 2017), the average change was +5% and a typical year strayed about 6.2% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.6 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.SEC.ENRL.VO, 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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