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Costa Rica
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Costa Rica
Overview of the education system (EAG 2023)
  • In Costa Rica, the total compulsory instruction time over the course of primary and lower secondary education is higher than the OECD average, at 10 240 hours, distributed over nine grades.
  • In Costa Rica, 28% of 15-19 year-olds are enrolled in general upper secondary education and 14% in vocational upper secondary education. A further 16% are enrolled in lower secondary programmes and 5% in tertiary programmes. This compares to an OECD average of 37% enrolled in general upper secondary programmes, 23% in vocational upper secondary programmes, 12% in lower secondary programmes and 12% in tertiary programmes.
  • In Costa Rica,4% of 25-34 year-olds have a vocational education and training (VET) qualification as their highest level of attainment: 2% at upper secondary level and 2% at short-cycle tertiary level.
  • Although an upper secondary qualification is often the minimum attainment needed for successful labour-market participation,42% of 25-34 year-olds in Costa Rica have not attained an upper secondary qualification, higher than the OECD average (14%).
  • Total government expenditure on education amounted to 12% of total government expenditure on all services in 2021, compared to 10% on average across the OECD.
  • On average,annual statutory salaries for upper secondary teachers in general programmes with the most prevalent qualification and 15 years of experience are USD 53 456 across the OECD. In Costa Rica, the corresponding salary adjusted for purchasing power is USD 32 004, which is equivalent to CRC 12 272 960.
  • In Costa Rica,18% of teachers in general upper secondary programmes are aged 50 or older, compared to the OECD average of 39%.Teachers in vocational programmes are on average younger than their general programme peers, with 17% aged 50 or above (43% on average across the OECD).
    • | Education at a Glance 2023 | Country Note | Annexes from Education at a Glance 2023 | OECD Handbook for Internationally Comparative Education Statistics 2018 | Ministerio de Educación Pública de la República de Costa Rica (Ministry of Public Education, in Spanish) |
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    The following list displays indicators for which your selected country shows the highest and lowest values among countries. The list can be sorted by level of education or by age group. All rankings are calculated including available data from OECD and partner countries. Find out more about the methodology here.

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    Attainment

    The level of upper secondary attainment among 25-64 year-olds is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (45.1 %, rank 41/45 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The level of upper secondary attainment among 25-34 year-olds is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (58.3 %, rank 40/44 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The level of below upper secondary attainment among 25-34 year-olds is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (41.7 %, rank 5/44 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The level of upper secondary and post-secondary non-tertiary attainment among 25-34 year-olds is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (27.3 %, rank 41/44 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The level of below upper secondary attainment among 25-64 year-olds is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (54.9 %, rank 5/45 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The level of upper secondary and post-secondary non-tertiary attainment among 25-64 year-olds is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (19.8 %, rank 43/45 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The proportion of 25-64 year-olds who have attained a vocational upper secondary or post-secondary qualification is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (1.9 %, rank 36/36 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The proportion of 25-64 year-old men who have attained a vocational degree at the upper secondary or post-secondary level is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (2 %, rank 35/36 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The proportion of 25-64 year-old women who have attained a vocational degree at the upper secondary or post-secondary level is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (1.8 %, rank 36/36 , 2022) Download Indicator

    Costa Rica has one of the highest percentages of 25-64 year-old adults with less than primary education. (9.8 %, rank 4/34 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The proportion of 25-34 year-olds who have attained a vocational degree at the upper secondary or post-secondary level is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (2.2 %, rank 35/36 , 2022) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the share of 25-34 year-olds who attained a master's or equivalent tertiary education degree is one of the lowest among countries with available data. (1 %, rank 37/40 , 2022) Download Indicator

    Attainment by gender

    The proportion of 25-64 year-old men who have attained at least upper secondary education is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (43.1 %, rank 43/45 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The proportion of 25-34 year-old men who have attained at least upper secondary education is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (54.3 %, rank 42/44 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The proportion of 35-44 year-old men who have attained at least upper secondary education is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (44.8 %, rank 42/44 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The proportion of 45-54 year-old men who have attained at least upper secondary education is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (34 %, rank 43/44 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The proportion of 25-34 year-old women who have attained at least upper secondary education is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (62.8 %, rank 40/44 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The proportion of 45-54 year-old women who have attained at least upper secondary education is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (36.1 %, rank 41/44 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The share of 25-34 year-old men who attained below upper secondary education in Costa Rica is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (45.7 %, rank 3/44 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The share of 25-34 year-old women who attained below upper secondary education in Costa Rica is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (37.2 %, rank 5/44 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The share of 25-64 year-old men who attained below upper secondary education in Costa Rica is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (56.9 %, rank 3/45 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The share of 25-34 year-old men who attained upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education in Costa Rica is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (26 %, rank 42/44 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The share of 25-34 year-old men who attained upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education in Costa Rica is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (20.1 %, rank 43/45 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The share of 25-64 year-old women who attained upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education in Costa Rica is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (19.4 %, rank 42/45 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The share of 55-64 year-old men who attained upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education in Costa Rica is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (15.3 %, rank 43/44 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The share of 55-64 year-old women who attained upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education in Costa Rica is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (16.5 %, rank 41/44 , 2022) Download Indicator

    Costa Rica has one of the largest share of women among 25-34 year-olds with a vocational upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education. (53.3 %, rank 2/36 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The share of 25-34 year-old women with vocational upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education in Costa Rica is one of the lowest among countries with available data. (2.5 %, rank 35/36 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The share of 25-34 year-old men with vocational upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education in Costa Rica is one of the lowest among countries with available data. (2 %, rank 35/36 , 2022) Download Indicator

    Attainment by field of education

    The percentage of 25-64 year-olds with tertiary education who studied in the field of arts is one of the lowest among OECD countries and partner economies with available data. (2.4 %, rank 14/18 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The percentage of 25-64 year-olds with tertiary education who studied in the field of arts and humanities, social sciences, journalism and information is one of the lowest among OECD countries and partner economies with available data. (10.2 %, rank 30/31 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The percentage of 25-64 year-olds with tertiary education who studied in the field of natural sciences, mathematics and statistics is one of the lowest among OECD countries and partner economies with available data. (2.1 %, rank 30/31 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The percentage of 25-64 year-olds with tertiary education who studied in the field of engineering, manufacturing and construction is one of the lowest among OECD countries and partner economies with available data. (10.1 %, rank 29/31 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The percentage of 25-64 year-olds with tertiary education who studied in the field of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) is one of the lowest among OECD countries and partner economies with available data. (18.9 %, rank 28/29 , 2021) Download Indicator

    Entrance

    The share of female students entering doctoral or equivalent programmes in Costa Rica is one of the largest compared to other OECD countries and partner economies. (69.2 %, rank 1/39 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the share of first-time entrants into master's or equivalent programmes before the age of 30 is relatively low. (35.9 %, rank 40/40 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the average age of new entrants in master's programmes is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (32.7 Years, rank 2/40 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The proportion of women among the new entrants in master's programmes in Costa Rica is relatively low compared to other OECD and partner countries. (52.8 %, rank 37/40 , 2021) Download Indicator

    Entrance by field of education and gender

    The share of female who enter tertiary education in the field of education is one of the smallest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (67.8 %, rank 36/39 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The share of female who enter tertiary education in the field of arts and humanities is one of the smallest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (56.3 %, rank 36/39 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The share of female who enter tertiary education in the field of social sciences, journalism and information is one of the smallest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (59.3 %, rank 37/39 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The share of female among new entrants in doctoral programmes enrolled in the field of engineering, manufacturing and construction in Costa Rica is relatively small. (0 %, rank 38/38 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica,the share of male among new entrants in doctoral programmes enrolled in the field of education is relatively small. (0 %, rank 35/37 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica,the share of male among new entrants in doctoral programmes enrolled in the field of natural sciences, mathematics ans statistics is relatively small. (0 %, rank 38/38 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The share of female students entering short cycle tertiary programmes in education in Costa Rica is one of the smallest compared to other OECD countries and partner economies. (67.5 %, rank 19/23 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the share of men among new entrants in bachelor's programmes in the field of engineering, manufacturing and construction is one of the smallest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (57.4 %, rank 39/39 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The share of male students entering doctoral or equivalent programmes in Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in Costa Rica is one of the smallest compared to other OECD countries and partner economies. (25 %, rank 38/38 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The share of male students entering short-cycle tertiary programmes in engineering, manufacturing and construction in Costa Rica is one of the smallest compared to other OECD countries and partner economies. (59.2 %, rank 30/32 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The share of male students entering short-cycle tertiary programmes in Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in Costa Rica is one of the smallest compared to other OECD countries and partner economies. (63.1 %, rank 29/32 , 2021) Download Indicator

    Participation in education

    The enrolment rate of 6-14 year-olds in Costa Rica is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (94.5 %, rank 41/44 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The enrolment rate among 15-19 year-olds in Costa Rica is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (62.8 %, rank 39/42 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The enrolment rate of 20-24 year-olds in Costa Rica is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (25.5 %, rank 39/42 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The percentage of 3-5 year-old children in early childhood and primary education in Costa Rica is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (62 %, rank 37/41 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The share of students enrolled in programmes providing full completion and access to tertiary education among all students enrolled in upper secondary vocational programmes is one of the largest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (100 %, rank 1/38 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The enrolment rate of students aged 20 in general upper secondary programmes in Costa Rica is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (7.8 %, rank 4/43 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The average age of lower secondary students enrolled in vocational programmes in Costa Rica is one of the lowest compared to other countries with available data. (13.5 %, rank 21/22 , 2021) Download Indicator

    Costa Rica has one of the largest shares of lower secondary students enrolled in vocational programmes. (18.3 %, rank 1/23 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The enrolment rate among students aged 15-19 in upper secondary programmes in Costa Rica is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (42.1 %, rank 41/45 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The enrolment rate among students aged 20-24 in upper secondary general programmes in Costa Rica is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (5.5 %, rank 3/42 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The enrolment rate among students aged 20-24 in bachelor's programmes in Costa Rica is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (11.9 %, rank 40/41 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The enrolment rate among students aged 20-24 in master's programmes in Costa Rica is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (0 %, rank 41/41 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The percentage of three-year-olds in pre-primary education in Costa Rica is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (0.1 %, rank 78/81 , 2021) Download Indicator

    Graduation

    The average age of graduates from general programmes at the upper secondary level in Costa Rica is comparatively high. (20.8 Years, rank 2/40 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The share of long first degree master's graduates in public institutions is relatively low in Costa Rica. (33 %, rank 23/25 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The share of doctorate graduates in public institutions is relatively low in Costa Rica. (30.7 %, rank 37/39 , 2021) Download Indicator

    Graduation by gender

    The share of female graduates from upper secondary general programmes is one of the largest among OECD countries and partner economies with available data. (53.9 %, rank 4/42 , 2021) Download Indicator

    Graduation by field of education

    The percentage of tertiary graduates in the field of arts and humanities is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (2.9 %, rank 43/44 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The percentage of tertiary graduates in the field of social sciences, journalism and information is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (5.2 %, rank 41/44 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The percentage of tertiary graduates in the field of business, administration and law is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (37.2 %, rank 3/44 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The percentage of tertiary graduates in the field of natural sciences, mathematics and statistics is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (2.3 %, rank 40/44 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The percentage of tertiary graduates in the field of engineering, manufacturing and construction is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (8.1 %, rank 41/44 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The share of doctoral graduates in the field of business, administration and law in Costa Rica is relatively large. (16.8 %, rank 2/44 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The share of doctoral graduates in the field of Natural sciences, mathematics and statistics in Costa Rica is relatively small. (5.8 %, rank 44/44 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The share of doctoral graduates in the field of information and communication technologies in Costa Rica is relatively small. (0 %, rank 42/43 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The share of doctoral graduates in the field of engineering, manufacturing and construction in Costa Rica is relatively small. (1.5 %, rank 43/44 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The share of doctoral graduates in the field of health and welfare in Costa Rica is relatively small. (0 %, rank 43/44 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the proportion of upper secondary vocational graduates in the field of business, aministration and law is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (45.8 %, rank 1/36 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the proportion of upper secondary vocational graduates in the field of health and welfare is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (0 %, rank 33/36 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the proportion of upper secondary and post-secondary non-tertiary vocational graduates in the field of arts and humanities is one of the smallest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (0 %, rank 36/36 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the proportion of upper secondary and post-secondary non-tertiary vocational graduates in the field of business, administration and law is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (45.8 %, rank 1/36 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the proportion of upper secondary and post-secondary non-tertiary vocational graduates in the field of health and welfare is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (0 %, rank 36/36 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the proportion of bachelor's, master's and doctoral or equivalent graduates in the field of arts and humanities is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (3 %, rank 43/45 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the proportion of bachelor's, master's and doctoral or equivalent graduates in the field of business, administration and law is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (36.5 %, rank 3/45 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the proportion of bachelor's, master's and doctoral or equivalent graduates in the field of STEM is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (15.5 %, rank 42/45 , 2021) Download Indicator

    Graduation by field of education and gender

    The proportion of female tertiary graduates in education is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries. (30.8 %, rank 1/44 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The proportion of female tertiary graduates in the humanities and arts is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries. (2.7 %, rank 43/44 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The proportion of female tertiary graduates in social sciences, business and law is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries. (37.4 %, rank 4/44 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the share of female doctoral graduates in the field of Natural sciences, mathematics and statistics is relatively low. (37.5 %, rank 41/44 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the share of female doctoral graduates in the field of business, administration and law is relatively low. (8.7 %, rank 43/43 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the share of female doctoral graduates in the field of engineering, manufacturing and construction is relatively high. (50 %, rank 1/44 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the share of female tertiary graduates in the field of social sciences, journalism and information is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (5.7 %, rank 41/44 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the share of female tertiary graduates in the field of sciences, technology, engineering and mathematics is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (8.9 %, rank 40/44 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The share of male tertiary graduates in the field of education is relatively high in Costa Rica. (19.3 %, rank 1/44 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the proportion of male tertiary graduates in the field of arts and humanities is relatively small. (3.3 %, rank 40/44 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the share of male tertiary graduates in the field of business, administration and law is one of the largest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (36.7 %, rank 4/44 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The share of male tertiary graduates in the field of science, technology, engineering and mathematics is relatively low in Costa Rica. (27.3 %, rank 41/44 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the share of female graduates in tertiary education in all fields is one of the largest among OECD countries and partner economies with available data. (62.8 %, rank 4/45 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the share of female graduates in tertiary education in the fields of arts and humanities is one of the smallest among OECD countries and partner economies with available data. (57.4 %, rank 41/44 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the share of female graduates in tertiary education in the fields of engineering, manufacturing and construction is one of the largest among OECD countries and partner economies with available data. (38 %, rank 4/44 , 2021) Download Indicator

    Fields of education

    In Costa Rica, the percentage of new entrants to tertiary education in the field of health and welfare is relatively low. (4.6 %, rank 39/39 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the share of new entrants in short-cycle tertiary programmes in field of health and welfare is relatively small. (0 %, rank 30/33 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the percentage of new entrants to doctoral programmes in the field of agriculture, forestry, fisheries and veterinary is relatively low, compared to other countries with available data. (0 %, rank 35/37 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the percentage of new entrants to doctoral programmes in the field of arts and humanities is relatively low, compared to other countries with available data. (0 %, rank 37/37 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the percentage of new entrants to doctoral programmes in the field of engineering, manufacturing and construction is relatively low, compared to other countries with available data. (7.7 %, rank 36/37 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the percentage of new entrants to doctoral programmes in the field of health and welfare is relatively low, compared to other countries with available data. (0 %, rank 36/37 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the percentage of new entrants to doctoral programmes in the field of information and communication technologies is relatively low, compared to other countries with available data. (0 %, rank 35/36 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the percentage of new entrants to doctoral programmes in the field of social sciences, journalism and information is relatively high, compared to other countries with available data. (53.8 %, rank 1/37 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the share of new entrants in arts and humanities master's programmes is relatively low, compared to OECD and partner countries with available data. (1.4 %, rank 39/39 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the share of new entrants in social sciences, journalism and information master's programmes is relatively low, compared to OECD and partner countries with available data. (2.2 %, rank 39/39 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the share of new entrants in agriculture, forestry, fisheries and veterinary master's programmes is especially low. (0.5 %, rank 35/39 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the percentage of new entrants in Services master's programmes is comparatively low among OECD and partner countries with available data. (0 %, rank 37/39 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the share of new entrants in health and welfare bachelor's programmes is relatively low, compared to other countries with available data. (5.6 %, rank 38/39 , 2021) Download Indicator

    Student mobility by field of education

    The percentage of students enrolled in the field of information and communication technologies among all international or foreign tertiary students in Costa Rica is relatively high. (10.6 %, rank 2/39 , 2021) Download Indicator

    Expenditure per student

    The share of current expenditure for primary to tertiary education in Costa Rica is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (-7.2 %, rank 45/45 , 2020) Download Indicator

    Expenditure in education and national wealth

    In Costa Rica, public expenditure on educational institutions as a percentage of GDP on primary, secondary and post-secondary non-tertiary education from final source of funds is relatively high. (4.4 %, rank 4/43 , 2020) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, public expenditure on educational institutions as a percentage of GDP on primary to tertiary education from final source of funds is relatively high. (5.8 %, rank 3/43 , 2020) Download Indicator

    Government and private expenditure in education

    In Costa Rica, total public expenditure on primary through tertiary educational institutions as a percentage of total public expenditure is comparatively high. (15.6 %, rank 3/45 , 2020) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, total public expenditure on primary educational institutions as a percentage of total public expenditure is comparatively high. (5.6 %, rank 4/46 , 2020) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, total public expenditure on secondary educational institutions as a percentage of total public expenditure is comparatively high. (6.2 %, rank 1/45 , 2020) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, international expenditure on educational institutions as a percentage of total expenditure on tertiary education is relatively low. (0 %, rank 29/33 , 2020) Download Indicator

    The share of public expenditure on educational institutions, for tertiary education is comparatively large in Costa Rica. (91 %, rank 3/40 , 2020) Download Indicator

    Compared to 2015, the share of public expenditure on educational institutions as a percentage of total government expenditure, for primary to tertiary education is comparatively small. (79 Index, rank 40/41 , 2020) Download Indicator

    Teachers

    The number of hours per year primary teachers spend teaching in public institutions is comparatively high in Costa Rica. (1209 Hours, rank 1/33 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The number of hours per year lower secondary teachers spend teaching in public institutions is comparatively high in Costa Rica. (1248 Hours, rank 1/33 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The number of days of instruction in a school year in lower secondary public school is especially high. (195 Days, rank 4/31 , 2021) Download Indicator

    Who the teachers are

    The percentage of primary to upper secondary teachers aged between 30 and 49 is especially high. (69.5 %, rank 2/39 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The percentage of lower secondary teachers older than 50 is especially low. (17.9 %, rank 36/37 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The percentage of upper secondary teachers older than 50 is especially low. (18 %, rank 38/39 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The percentage of primary to upper secondary teachers older than 50 is especially low. (22 %, rank 35/39 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The percentage of female teachers younger than 30 in primary education is especially low in Costa Rica. (66.7 %, rank 38/40 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The percentage of female teachers under 30 in lower secondary education is especially low in Costa Rica. (55.2 %, rank 34/37 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the share of female teachers younger than 30 in tertiary education is relatively small . (45 %, rank 31/35 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the share of tertiary teachers aged between 30 and 49 is relatively high, compared to other countries with data available. (63.3 %, rank 1/34 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the share of short-cycle tertiary teachers older than 50 is relatively low, compared to other countries with data available. (7.1 %, rank 23/23 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the share of short-cycle tertiary female teachers younger than 30 is relatively low, compared to other countries with data available. (44.4 %, rank 19/23 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the share of bachelor's, master's and doctoral level female teachers younger than 30 is relatively low, compared to other countries with data available. (45 %, rank 28/32 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the share of short-cycle tertiary female teachers older than 50 is relatively low, compared to other countries with data available. (0 %, rank 23/23 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The percentage of teachers under 30 in early childhood educational development is especially low in Costa Rica. (7.2 %, rank 19/19 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the share of women among teaching staff in early childhood educational development is one of the lowest, compared to OECD and partner countries with available data. (84.5 %, rank 21/22 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the percentage of teachers under 30 in pre-primary education is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (6.7 %, rank 34/36 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the percentage of teachers aged between 30 and 49 in pre-primary education is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (67.1 %, rank 3/36 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In upper secondary education, the percentage of teachers aged 50 or more is particularly low in Costa Rica. (18.2 %, rank 32/33 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the percentage of upper secondary general education teachers aged between 30 and 49 is relatively high, compared to the other countries with available data. (72 %, rank 2/33 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the share of upper secondary vocational education teachers aged 50 or more is relatively low, compared to the other countries with available data. (17.4 %, rank 29/30 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the percentage of teachers aged between 30 and 49 in upper secondary vocational education is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (73.8 %, rank 1/30 , 2021) Download Indicator

    Teachers' salaries

    After 15 years of experience, a lower secondary teacher with minimum qualification can expect to have one of the lowest salaries among OECD and partner countries with available data. (18078 USD Equivalent, rank 35/35 , 2022) Download Indicator

    After 15 years of experience, an upper secondary teacher with minimum qualification can expect to have one of the lowest salaries among OECD and partner countries with available data. (18078 USD Equivalent, rank 35/35 , 2022) Download Indicator

    After 15 years of experience, a pre-primary teacher with minimum qualification can expect to have one of the lowest salaries among OECD and partner countries with available data. (17399 USD Equivalent, rank 27/28 , 2022) Download Indicator

    After 15 years of experience, a primary teacher with minimum qualification can expect to have one of the lowest salaries among OECD and partner countries with available data. (17399 USD Equivalent, rank 35/35 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The ratio of pre-primary teachers' salaries to earnings of full-time, full-year workers with tertiary education is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (1.19 Ratio, rank 3/22 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The ratio of primary teachers' salaries to earnings of full-time, full-year workers with tertiary education is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (1.22 Ratio, rank 3/26 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The ratio of lower secondary teachers' salaries to earnings of full-time, full-year workers with tertiary education is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (1.36 Ratio, rank 2/26 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The ratio of upper secondary teachers' salaries to earnings of full-time, full-year workers with tertiary education is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (1.36 Ratio, rank 3/26 , 2022) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the change in statutory primary education teachers' salaries with 15 years of experience, based on most prevalent qualifications at different points in teachers' careers is relatively small. (81 Index, rank 30/30 , 2022) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the change in statutory lower secondary education teachers' salaries with 15 years of experience, based on most prevalent qualifications at different points in teachers' careers is relatively small. (61 Index, rank 30/30 , 2022) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the change in statutory upper secondary education teachers' salaries with 15 years of experience, based on most prevalent qualifications at different points in teachers' careers is relatively small. (61 Index, rank 30/30 , 2022) Download Indicator

    After 15 years of experience, an upper secondary teacher can expect to have one of the lowest salaries per hour of net teaching time among OECD and partner countries with available data. (26 USD Equivalent, rank 28/28 , 2022) Download Indicator

    After 15 years of experience, a primary teacher can expect to have one of the lowest salaries per hour of net teaching time among OECD and partner countries with available data. (26 USD Equivalent, rank 29/29 , 2022) Download Indicator

    After 15 years of experience, a lower secondary teacher can expect to have one of the lowest salaries per hour of net teaching time among OECD and partner countries with available data. (26 USD Equivalent, rank 29/29 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The ratio of lower secondary female teachers' salaries to earnings of full-time, full-year women workers with tertiary education is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (1.34 Ratio, rank 2/21 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The ratio of lower secondary male teachers' salaries to earnings of full-time, full-year men workers with tertiary education is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (1.39 Ratio, rank 1/21 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The salaries of 25-34 year-old general lower-secondary teachers relative to earnings for full-time, full-year similarly educated workers with tertiary education is high in Costa Rica. (1.31 Ratio, rank 1/22 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The salaries of 55-64 year-old general lower-secondary teachers relative to earnings for full-time, full-year similarly educated workers with tertiary education is high in Costa Rica. (1.44 Ratio, rank 1/22 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The change in statutory pre-primary teachers' salaries with 15 years of experience, based on most prevalent qualifications at different points in their careers is comparatively small in Costa Rica. (81 Index, rank 23/23 , 2022) Download Indicator

    Teachers' salaries progression

    Starting salaries for teachers with minimum training in primary education are especially low. (13848 USD Equivalent, rank 39/39 , 2022) Download Indicator

    Salaries of primary school teachers with minimum training after 10 years of experience are especially low. (16215 USD Equivalent, rank 36/36 , 2022) Download Indicator

    Salaries of primary school teachers with minimum training at the top of scale are especially low. (20949 USD Equivalent, rank 35/35 , 2022) Download Indicator

    Starting salaries for lower secondary teachers with minimum training are especially low. (14380 USD Equivalent, rank 39/39 , 2022) Download Indicator

    Salaries of lower secondary teachers with minimum training after 10 years of experience are especially low. (16846 USD Equivalent, rank 36/36 , 2022) Download Indicator

    Starting salaries for upper secondary teachers with minimum training are especially low. (14380 USD Equivalent, rank 39/39 , 2022) Download Indicator

    Salaries of upper secondary teachers with minimum training after 10 years of experience are especially low. (16846 USD Equivalent, rank 36/36 , 2022) Download Indicator

    Salaries of upper secondary teachers with minimum training at the top of scale are especially low. (21776 USD Equivalent, rank 34/35 , 2022) Download Indicator

    Starting salaries for pre-primary teachers with minimum training are especially low. (13848 USD Equivalent, rank 30/31 , 2022) Download Indicator

    Salaries of pre-primary teachers with minimum training after 10 years of experience are especially low. (16215 USD Equivalent, rank 28/29 , 2022) Download Indicator

    Salaries of pre-primary teachers with minimum training at the top of scale are especially low. (20949 USD Equivalent, rank 27/28 , 2022) Download Indicator

    In lower secondary education, the salary ratio of teachers with maximum qualifications at the top of the salary scale to those with minimum training and starting salaries is comparatively high. (2.69 Ratio, rank 3/32 , 2022) Download Indicator

    Principals' salaries

    Lower-secondary 25-64 year-old school heads' salaries relative to earnings for full-time, full-year similarly educated workers with tertiary education is high in Costa Rica. (2.07 Ratio, rank 1/22 , 2022) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the average actual salaries of 25-34 year-old lower-secondary school heads is relatively low compared to OECD and partner countries with available data. (49856 USD Equivalent, rank 13/17 , 2022) Download Indicator

    Ratio of student to teaching staff

    In Costa Rica, the number of students per teacher in all private secondary education is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (8.2 Ratio, rank 35/39 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the ratio of children to teaching staff in early childhood educational development is one of the lowest compared to other OECD and partner countries with available data. (4.5 Ratio, rank 19/21 , 2021) Download Indicator

    Organisation of the education system

    In Costa Rica, the intended instruction time for lower secondary students (in hours per year) is one of the longest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (1120 Hours, rank 4/30 , 2023) Download Indicator

    The total compulsory instruction time for primary students in Costa Rica is one of the longest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (6880 Hours, rank 3/38 , 2023) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the total intended instruction time for primary students (in hours per year) is one of the longest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (6880 Hours, rank 2/30 , 2023) Download Indicator

    The total compulsory instruction time for primary and lower secondary student in Costa Rica is among the longest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (10240 Hours, rank 3/38 , 2023) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, total intended instruction time for primary and lower secondary students (in hours per year) is among the longest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (10240 Hours, rank 2/30 , 2023) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, compulsory instruction time for primary students, in hours per year, is one of the longest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (1147 Hours, rank 1/38 , 2023) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the intended instruction time for primary students, in hours per year, is one of the longest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (1147 Hours, rank 1/30 , 2023) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, compulsory instruction time for lower secondary students, in hours per year, is one of the longest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (1120 Hours, rank 3/38 , 2023) Download Indicator

    Classes in public primary institutions are comparatively small in Costa Rica. (16 Students, rank 35/36 , 2021) Download Indicator

    Classes in lower secondary public institutions are comparatively large in Costa Rica. (35 Students, rank 1/34 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, classes in primary education are comparatively small. (16 Students, rank 32/33 , 2021) Download Indicator

    Employment and educational attainment

    The employment rate among 25-64 year-olds with a short-cycle tertiary education degree is low compared to other OECD and partner countries. (72.9 %, rank 32/36 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The employment rate among 25-34 year-olds with below upper secondary education is compartively high in Costa Rica. (69.1 %, rank 4/44 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The employment rate among 55-64 year-olds with tertiary education is compartively low in Costa Rica. (57.3 %, rank 43/45 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The employment rate among 25-34 year-olds with a vocational upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is relatively low compared to other OECD and partner countries. (75.4 %, rank 32/36 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The employment rate among 25-34 year-olds with a short-cycle tertiary education is comparatively low. (72.2 %, rank 30/32 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The employment rate among 45-54 year-olds with a vocational upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is relatively low compared to other OECD and partner countries. (77.8 %, rank 32/36 , 2022) Download Indicator

    Compared to other countries with available data, the employment rate of 25-34 year-olds with a master's or equivalent tertiary education degree is relatively high in Costa Rica. (95.3 %, rank 2/40 , 2022) Download Indicator

    Employment by gender and educational attainment

    The employment rate among 25-64 year-old men without upper secondary education is comparatively high. (84.3 %, rank 4/44 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The employment rate among 25-34 year-old men with below upper secondary education is compartively high in Costa Rica. (85 %, rank 5/44 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The employment rate among 55-64 year-old men with tertiary education is compartively low in Costa Rica. (69 %, rank 43/45 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The employment rate among 55-64 year-old women with tertiary education is compartively low in Costa Rica. (47.4 %, rank 42/45 , 2022) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the employment rate among 25-34 year-old women with vocational upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is comparatively low (60.3 %, rank 33/36 , 2022) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the share of employed 25-64 year-old women with general upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is relatively low, compared to other OECD and partner countries with available data. (55.1 %, rank 35/38 , 2022) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the share of employed 25-64 year-old women with vocational upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is relatively low, compared to other OECD and partner countries with available data. (59.8 %, rank 32/36 , 2022) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the share of employed 25-64 year-old men with vocational upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is relatively high, compared to other OECD and partner countries with available data. (91.3 %, rank 2/36 , 2022) Download Indicator

    Employment by field of education

    The employment rate among 25-64 year-olds with tertiary education who studied in the field of educaton is low compared to other OECD and partner countries. (76.9 %, rank 28/31 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The employment rate among 25-64 year-olds with tertiary education who studied in the field of humanities (except languages), social sciences, journalism and information is low compared to other OECD and partner countries. (74.2 %, rank 28/29 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The employment rate among 25-64 year-olds with tertiary education who studied in the field of arts and humanities, social sciences, journalism and information is low compared to other OECD and partner countries. (73.8 %, rank 29/31 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The employment rate among 25-64 year-olds with tertiary education who studied in the field of business and administration is low compared to other OECD and partner countries. (81.3 %, rank 14/17 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The employment rate among 25-64 year-olds with tertiary education who studied in the field of law is low compared to other OECD and partner countries. (81.9 %, rank 13/15 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The employment rate among 25-64 year-olds with tertiary education who studied in the field of health and welfare is low compared to other OECD and partner countries. (79.7 %, rank 29/31 , 2021) Download Indicator

    Unemployment and educational attainment

    The unemployment rate among 25-64 year-olds with a general upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is high compared to other OECD and partner countries. (11.4 %, rank 4/36 , 2022) Download Indicator

    Among the unemployed population aged between 25 and 64, with below upper secondary education, the share of those who have been unemployed for less than 3 months is one of the largest in Costa Rica, compared to other OECD countries. (57.6 %, rank 2/28 , 2021) Download Indicator

    Among the unemployed population aged between 25 and 64 with below upper secondary education, the share of those who have been unemployed for at least 3 months to less than 12 months is one of the smallest in Costa Rica, compared to other OECD countries. (21.4 %, rank 26/28 , 2021) Download Indicator

    Among the unemployed population aged between 25 and 64 with below upper secondary education, the share of those who have been unemployed for at least 12 months is one of the smallest in Costa Rica, compared to other OECD countries. (20.9 %, rank 32/35 , 2021) Download Indicator

    Among the unemployed population aged between 25 and 64 with upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education, the share of those who have been unemployed for at least 3 months to less than 12 months is one of the smallest in Costa Rica, compared to other OECD countries. (27 %, rank 25/28 , 2021) Download Indicator

    Among the unemployed population aged between 25 and 64 with tertiary education, the share of those who have been unemployed for less than 3 months is one of the largest in Costa Rica, compared to other OECD countries. (40.4 %, rank 5/28 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The unemployment rate among 25-34 year-olds with a general upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is one of the highest of all OECD countries and partner economies for which data are available. (15.9 %, rank 3/36 , 2022) Download Indicator

    Compared to other countries with available data, the unemployment rate of 25-34 year-old with a short cycle tertiary education degree is relatively high in Costa Rica. (11.2 %, rank 5/26 , 2022) Download Indicator

    Unemployment by gender and educational attainment

    In Costa Rica, the share of unemployed 25-64 year-old women with general upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is relatively high, compared to other OECD and partner countries with available data. (16.2 %, rank 3/36 , 2022) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the share of unemployed 25-64 year-old women with vocational upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is relatively high, compared to other OECD and partner countries with available data. (8.8 %, rank 5/34 , 2022) Download Indicator

    Compared to other countries with available data, the unemployment rate of 25-34 year-old women with general upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is relatively high in Costa Rica. (20.4 %, rank 3/33 , 2022) Download Indicator

    Compared to other countries with available data, the unemployment rate of 25-34 year-old men with general upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is relatively high in Costa Rica. (12.6 %, rank 5/34 , 2022) Download Indicator

    Inactivity and educational attainment

    The inactivity rate of 25-34 years-old adults with below upper secondary education is low in Costa Rica. (19.5 %, rank 40/43 , 2022) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the inactivity rate of 25-34 year-olds with vocational upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is relatively high. (17.6 %, rank 5/35 , 2022) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the inactivity rate of 25-34 year-olds with a bachelor's or equivalent tertiary education degree is one of the lowest among countries with available data. (6.1 %, rank 41/43 , 2022) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the inactivity rate of 25-64 year-olds with a master's or equivalent tertiary education degree is one of the highest among countries with available data. (12.9 %, rank 1/40 , 2022) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the inactivity rate of 25-34 year-olds with a short cycle tertiary education degree is one of the highest among countries with available data. (18.8 %, rank 3/27 , 2022) Download Indicator

    Inactivity by gender and educational attainment

    In Costa Rica, the inactivity rate of 25-34 year-old men without an upper secondary education is relatively low compared to other countries with available data. (4.8 %, rank 42/43 , 2022) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the inactivity rate of 25-64 year-old men without an upper secondary education is relatively low compared to other countries with available data. (9.5 %, rank 42/44 , 2022) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the inactivity rate of 25-34 year-old men with general upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is relatively low. (4.9 %, rank 33/36 , 2022) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the inactivity rate of 25-64 year-old men with general upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is relatively low. (6.9 %, rank 37/38 , 2022) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the inactivity rate of 25-34 year-old women with vocational upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is relatively high. (30.3 %, rank 4/35 , 2022) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the inactivity rate of 25-64 year-old men with vocational upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is relatively low. (5.5 %, rank 35/36 , 2022) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the inactivity rate of 25-34 year-old men with upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is relatively low. (4.7 %, rank 39/43 , 2022) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the inactivity rate of 25-64 year-old men with upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is relatively low. (6.8 %, rank 43/44 , 2022) Download Indicator

    Earnings and educational attainment

    The proportion of female full-time earners among all earners aged 35 to 44 without upper secondary education is comparatively low. (18.6 %, rank 24/28 , 2020) Download Indicator

    The proportion of female full-time earners among all earners aged 55 to 64 without upper secondary education is comparatively low. (9.4 %, rank 27/29 , 2020) Download Indicator

    The proportion of female full-time earners among all earners aged 35 to 44 with upper secondary and post-secondary non-tertiary education is comparatively low. (25.6 %, rank 28/30 , 2020) Download Indicator

    The proportion of female full-time earners among all earners aged 55 to 64 with upper secondary and post-secondary non-tertiary education is comparatively low. (17.4 %, rank 28/29 , 2020) Download Indicator

    The proportional difference in earnings between 25-64 year-old adults with tertiary education and those with upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is quite high. (212 Index, rank 4/40 , 2021) Download Indicator

    Compared with other OECD and partner countries, the proportional difference in earnings between 25-64 year-old adults with a bachelor's or equivalent degree and those with upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is high. (210 Index, rank 2/35 , 2020) Download Indicator

    The gap in average earnings between 25-64 year-old women with a bachelor's or equivalent degree and those with upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (225 Index, rank 2/35 , 2020) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the proportional difference in earnings between 25-64 year-old men with a bachelor's or equivalent degree and those with upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is high. (205 Index, rank 2/35 , 2020) Download Indicator

    Earnings of 25-64 year-old full and part-time workers with tertiary education are comparatively high. (227.2 %, rank 4/40 , 2020) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the share of worker earning more than twice the median among those with a tertiary education degree is comparatively . (51.4 %, rank 2/40 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the proportion of young 25-34 year-old adults with a bachelor's or equivalent attainment earnings is relatively high compared to OECD and other members with available data (185.2 %, rank 2/35 , 2021) Download Indicator

    Compared to other countries with available data, earnings of 25-64 year-olds working full-time and full-year with vocational upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education compared to those of adults without an upper secondary education are relatively high in Costa Rica. (186 Index, rank 1/29 , 2021) Download Indicator

    Compared to other countries with available data, earnings of 25-34 year-olds working full-time and full-year with tertiary education compared to those of adults without an upper secondary education are relatively high in Costa Rica. (217 Index, rank 5/39 , 2021) Download Indicator

    Compared to other countries with available data, earnings of 45-54 year-olds working full-time and full-year with tertiary education compared to those of adults without an upper secondary education are relatively high in Costa Rica. (318 Index, rank 4/40 , 2021) Download Indicator

    Compared to other countries with available data, earnings of 25-34 year-olds working full-time and full-year with bachelor's or equivalent attainment compared to those of adults without an upper secondary education are relatively high in Costa Rica. (227 Index, rank 3/34 , 2021) Download Indicator

    Compared to other countries with available data, earnings of 25-64 year-olds working full-time and full-year with bachelor's or equivalent attainment compared to those of adults without an upper secondary education are relatively high in Costa Rica. (274 Index, rank 2/35 , 2021) Download Indicator

    Compared to other countries with available data, earnings of 45-54 year-olds working full-time and full-year with bachelor's or equivalent attainment compared to those of adults without an upper secondary education are relatively high in Costa Rica. (296 Index, rank 2/35 , 2021) Download Indicator

    Earnings, gender and educational attainment

    Earnings of women as a percentage of men's earnings (among 25-64 year-olds with upper secondary education or post-secondary non-tertiary education and income from employment) are one of the highest among countries with available data. (88.6 %, rank 2/40 , 2021) Download Indicator

    Earnings of women as a percentage of men's earnings (among 25-64 year-olds with tertiary education and income from employment) are one of the highest among countries with available data. (101.2 %, rank 1/40 , 2021) Download Indicator

    Earnings of women as a percentage of men's earnings (25-64 year-olds with income from employment) are one of the highest among countries with available data. (123.6 %, rank 1/40 , 2021) Download Indicator

    Earnings of women (as a percentage of men's earnings) among full- and part-time 25-64 year-olds with tertiary education are one of the highest among countries with available data. (94.8 %, rank 1/40 , 2020) Download Indicator

    Earnings of women as a percentage of men's earnings (among 25-34 year-olds with upper secondary education or post-secondary non-tertiary education and income from employment) are one of the high among countries with available data. (96.4 %, rank 2/40 , 2021) Download Indicator

    Earnings of women as a percentage of men's earnings (45-54 year-olds with general upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education working full-time full-year) are one of the lowest among countries with available data. (70.4 %, rank 24/28 , 2021) Download Indicator

    Earnings of women as a percentage of men's earnings (45-54 year-olds with tertiary education working full-time full-year) are one of the highest among countries with available data. (118.8 %, rank 1/40 , 2021) Download Indicator

    Earnings by field of education

    Earnings of tertiary-educated adults who studied in the field of business, administration and law are low, compared to earnings of all tertiary-educated adults in Costa Rica. (93.9 %, rank 17/17 , 2020) Download Indicator

    Earnings of tertiary-educated adults who studied in the field of information and communication technologies (ICT) are low, compared to earnings of all tertiary-educated adults in Costa Rica. (107.1 %, rank 14/17 , 2020) Download Indicator

    Earnings of tertiary-educated adults who studied in the field of engineering, manufacturing and construction are low, compared to earnings of all tertiary-educated adults in Costa Rica. (89.5 %, rank 17/17 , 2020) Download Indicator

    Compared to other countries with available data, earnings of tertiary-educated adults in Costa Rica who studied in the field of business, administration and law, are low, when compared to earnings of adults with an upper secondary education. (93.4 %, rank 16/16 , 2020) Download Indicator

    Compared to other countries with available data, earnings of tertiary-educated adults in Costa Rica who studied in the field of engineering, manufacturing and construction, are low, when compared to earnings of adults with an upper secondary education. (88.4 %, rank 16/16 , 2020) Download Indicator

    Compared to other countries with available data, earnings of tertiary-educated adults in Costa Rica who studied in the field of health and welfare, are high, when compared to earnings of adults with an upper secondary education. (119.2 %, rank 3/16 , 2020) Download Indicator

    Neither in education nor employed

    The share of unemployed youth neither in formal education nor training among 18-24 year-olds in Costa Rica is one of the highest among countries with available data. (11.2 %, rank 2/40 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The share of men without an upper secondary education neither in employment nor in education and training (25-29 year-olds) in Costa Rica is relatively low (12.8 %, rank 36/39 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The share of women with general upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education neither in employment nor in education and training (25-29 year-olds) in Costa Rica is relatively high (34.2 %, rank 5/32 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The share of men with general upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education neither in employment nor in education and training (25-29 year-olds) in Costa Rica is relatively high (29 %, rank 1/29 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The share of 25-29 year-olds neither in employment nor in education and training with general upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education in Costa Rica is relatively high (31.7 %, rank 2/33 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The share of 25-29 year-olds neither in employment nor in education and training with vocational upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education in Costa Rica is relatively high. (29.8 %, rank 3/31 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The share of men with upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education neither in employment nor in education and training (25-29 year-olds) in Costa Rica is relatively high. (26.7 %, rank 2/38 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The share of 25-29 year-olds neither in employment nor in education and training with upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary in Costa Rica is relatively high. (31.5 %, rank 2/39 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The share of women who are unemployed NEET (15-29 year-olds) in Costa Rica is relatively high. (8.6 %, rank 4/40 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The share of women who are unemployed NEET (18-24 year-olds) in Costa Rica is relatively high. (11 %, rank 4/38 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The share of men who are unemployed NEET (15-29 year-olds) in Costa Rica is relatively high. (9.2 %, rank 4/40 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The share of men who are unemployed NEET (18-24 year-olds) in Costa Rica is relatively high. (11.4 %, rank 2/40 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The share of unemployed NEET (15-29 year-olds) in Costa Rica is relatively high. (8.9 %, rank 4/40 , 2022) Download Indicator

    In Costa Rica, the share of women neither employed nor in education among 15-29 year-olds is relatively high. (27.6 %, rank 5/40 , 2022) Download Indicator

    Among 15-29 year-olds, the share of youth without an upper secondary or post-secondary non tertiary degree who are neither employed nor in education or training in Costa Rica is relatively high. (35.5 %, rank 2/40 , 2021) Download Indicator


    The data table will display up to six selected countries.
    General findings
    
                        
    
                            
    
                                
    • On average in OECD countries, the employment rate for younger adults (25-34 year-olds) with upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education as their highest attainment is 83% for those with a vocational qualification and 73% for those with a general one.
    • Combined school- and work-based vocational programmes facilitate the transition into the labour market. In Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia and Switzerland, around nine out of ten upper secondary VET students are in a combined school- and work-based programme, but in 10 countries, the share is less than one in five.
    • Vocational education and training (VET) programmes, which often require specific equipment and infrastructure, typically cost more per student than general programmes. On average across OECD countries, expenditure per student is about USD 11 400 in general upper secondary programmes, compared to about USD 13 200 in vocational programmes.
    • On average across OECD countries, 43% of teachers in vocational upper secondary programmes are aged 50 or over. This reflects an ageing VET teacher workforce, and also that some VET teachers join the teaching profession after an industry work experience.
    
                            
    
                            
    
                                | Spotlight on Vocational Education and Training | Education policies: Access and Participation - VET | Education policies: Finance and Funding - VET | Education policies: Labour market outcomes - VET | 
    
                            
    
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    • On average across OECD, 20% of adults (25-64 year-olds) still do not have an upper secondary qualification in 2022. Forty percent have an upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary qualification as their highest level of education, the same share as those with a tertiary degree.

    • Employment rates increase as educational attainment increases. Among 25-64 year-olds, the employment rate is 59% for those with below upper secondary attainment. This rises to 77% for adults with upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary attainment and 86% for those with tertiary attainment.

    • Civic engagement tends to increase as educational attainment increases. Across the OECD countries and accession countries participating in the European Social Survey (ESS) Round 10, around 10% of individuals with tertiary attainment have participated in a public demonstration in the previous 12 months, whereas 6% of individuals with upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary educational attainment have done so. 

    • The most common form of participation in adult learning is non-formal education and training, mostly job related. Slightly more than one in ten adults (25-64 year-olds) participate in non-formal education and training on average across OECD and accession countries reporting data with a four-week reference period, of which almost 80% have engaged in at least one job-related learning activity.
    
                            
    
                            
    
                                | Education policies: Attainment | Education policies: Labour market outcomes | 
    
                            
    
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    • On average, 18% of children under 2 and 43% of 2-year-olds were enrolled in early childhood education (ECEC) programmes in 2021 but other ECEC services also play a significant role. In Japan, 26% of children under 2 and 53% of 2-year-olds are enrolled in ECEC services outside ISCED 0. 

    • In Canada, Ireland and New Zealand, vocational programmes mostly serve those who have completed their initial schooling, and less than 12% of 15-19 year-old upper secondary students are pursuing VET. In contrast, there are 11 OECD countries where the majority of 15-19 year-olds enrolled in upper secondary education are in vocational programmes.

    • Most upper secondary VET students are in programmes that offer direct access to tertiary education. Countries where around 30% or more vocational students enrolled in programmes that lead to full level completion without direct access to tertiary education tend to be those with multiple vocational tracks and bridging options to allow progression to higher levels of education. 

    • On average, 72% of students who enter upper secondary education graduate within its theoretical duration across countries with available data. Two years after the end of the theoretical duration, the average completion rate has increased to 82%. 

    • Students who entered a general upper secondary programme have a higher rate of completion (87%) than those who entered in a vocational programme (73%) in nearly all countries two years after the end of the theoretical programme duration. 

    • The COVID-19 pandemic had a very uneven impact on international student flows across countries during the period 2019-2021. While the share of mobile students fell by 6 percentage points in Australia and 9 percentage points in New Zealand, it increased in several countries and remained unchanged in many others.
    
                            
    
                            
    
                                | Education policies: Access and Participation  | 
    
                            
    
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    • Across OECD countries, expenditure per student averages around USD 10 700 at the primary level, USD 11 900 at secondary and USD 18 100 at tertiary level. This reflects the fact that higher levels of education often require teachers to have more advanced qualifications and specialised knowledge which are usually accompanied by higher salaries.

    • Vocational education and training (VET) programmes, which often require specific equipment and infrastructure, typically cost more per student than general programmes. On average across OECD countries, expenditure per student is about USD 11 400 in general upper secondary programmes, compared to about USD 13 200 in vocational programmes.
    • Upper secondary vocational programmes receive between 3% and 17% of all funding for primary to tertiary educational institutions. Post-secondary non-tertiary programmes, which are often vocational, receive as much as 7% of funding (in Ireland) and short-cycle tertiary as much as 10% (in Canada).

    • In 2020, on average across OECD countries, 84% of the funding for primary to tertiary educational institutions came directly from government sources, 15% from private sources and 1% from non-domestic (international) sources. 

    • Higher education levels tend to have higher teachers' salary costs per student. On average across OECD countries, they rise from USD 3 614 per student in primary education to USD 4 424 in lower secondary education. This is mostly due to a combination of higher teachers' salaries and instruction time, and shorter teaching hours.
    
                            
    
                            
    
                                | Education policies: Finance and Funding | 
    
                            
    
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    • Students across the OECD receive an average of 7 634 hours of compulsory instruction during their primary and lower secondary education, ranging from 5 245 hours in Poland to double that in Australia (11 000 hours).

    • Teachers' actual salaries at pre-primary, primary and general secondary levels of education are 81-95% of the earnings of tertiary-educated workers on average across OECD countries and other participants.

    • School heads' actual salaries are more than 51% higher on average than those of teachers across primary and secondary education in OECD countries and other participants.

    • More than three-quarters of the OECD countries have national, or central, examinations in the final years of upper secondary education (in general programmes). A large majority of these countries use these examinations to grant students access to tertiary education.

    
                            
    
                            
    
                                | Education policies: Teachers | Education policies: Teachers | OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS)  | 
    
                            
    
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            Diagram of funding flows - Costa Rica
            
    
            
    
        
    


        
		
    
            
    
			Click on the coverpage to see the full OECD iLibrary version
			
    
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            Country Reviews for Costa Rica
            
    
            
    
			
    
        
    
		
              
              
              
              
              
              
              
        
    
            Note: These values should be interpreted with care since they are influenced
            by countries' specific contexts and trade-offs. In education, there is often no simple
            most- or least-efficient model. For instance, the share of private expenditure in
            education must be read against other measures designed to mitigate inequities, 
			such as loans and grants; longer learning time is an opportunity to convey
            more and better content to students, but may hinder investments in other important
            areas. If you want further information on the nature of different variables, please
            take the time to read the analysis and contextual information, available at the website
            for each publication.
    
            All rankings for individual variables are compiled on the basis of OECD and G20 countries for which data are available. 
            The OECD average includes only OECD countries which are listed here: http://www.oecd.org/about/membersandpartners/
            

    
			Reference years displayed in the Education GPS correspond to the most common year of reference among countries for which data is available on each variable. Data for the latest available year is preferred and some 
			countries may have provided data refering to a more recent or late year. To know more about possible exceptions on data please click on the "Download Indicator" link on each variable. When a year of reference corresponds to a school year encompassing two years, the reference reads as follows: 2018 for school year 2017/2018.  
			

    
	    *TALIS averages are based on all countries participating in the TALIS survey, including partner countries and economies. 
		This explains the difference between the OECD average and the TALIS averages.
		Data from the TALIS survey and Education at a Glance (EAG) may differ. See Annex E of the TALIS technical report and 
		Annex 3 
		of EAG 2021 for more details about the data collections.
            

    
			B-S-J-Z (China) refers to the four PISA-participating provinces/municipalities of the People's Republic of China:
Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang.
			

    
            For additional notes, please refer to annexes in the list of links below the introductory country profile text.