Costa Rica — Education spending
Government Education Spending (% of GDP) for Costa Rica, 1980–2023.
Education spending for Costa Rica was 5.31% in 2023, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 32 years, from 1980 to 2023. The highest recorded value was 7.35% in 1980. The lowest was 3.35% in 1995 (about 1.6× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to -0.75% per year.
Costa Rica ranks 41 of 172 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 24%. The median for Latin America & Caribbean is 4.27%, so Costa Rica sits above it. It peaked in 1980 and has fallen 28% since. Over the last decade (2013–2023) the figure moved down 21%. Within Latin America & Caribbean it ranks 9 of 36 economies; Colombia (5.26%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 39% in 1999. That is 18% below this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
World ranking. Slipped: 2nd of 63 in 1980 → 44th of 116 in 2000 → 13th of 130 in 2010 → 17th of 157 in 2020 → 19th of 107 in 2023.
Key figures
Full history — 1980 to 2023
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 5.31% | -0.2 pp |
| 2022 | 5.55% | -0.7 pp |
| 2021 | 6.25% | -0.4 pp |
| 2020 | 6.63% | -0.1 pp |
| 2019 | 6.74% | -0.0 pp |
| 2018 | 6.77% | -0.3 pp |
| 2017 | 7.07% | +0.2 pp |
| 2016 | 6.89% | +0.0 pp |
| 2015 | 6.87% | +0.2 pp |
| 2014 | 6.68% | -0.0 pp |
| 2013 | 6.69% | +0.1 pp |
| 2012 | 6.58% | +0.2 pp |
| 2011 | 6.38% | -0.2 pp |
| 2010 | 6.57% | +0.6 pp |
| 2009 | 6.01% | +1.1 pp |
| 2008 | 4.89% | +0.3 pp |
| 2007 | 4.63% | +0.0 pp |
| 2006 | 4.62% | -0.3 pp |
| 2004 | 4.89% | -0.2 pp |
| 2003 | 5.13% | -0.0 pp |
| 2002 | 5.15% | +0.3 pp |
| 2001 | 4.83% | +0.2 pp |
| 2000 | 4.67% | -0.7 pp |
| 1999 | 5.39% | +1.5 pp |
| 1996 | 3.89% | +0.5 pp |
| 1995 | 3.35% | -0.7 pp |
| 1989 | 4.08% | +0.1 pp |
| 1988 | 4.01% | -0.4 pp |
| 1986 | 4.42% | -0.5 pp |
| 1983 | 4.96% | +0.1 pp |
| 1982 | 4.89% | -2.5 pp |
| 1980 | 7.35% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Costa Rica’s Education spending in 1982?
4.89% (1982). The full year-by-year table above lists every published year, most recent first.
Are changes in this series measured in percentage points?
Yes. The series is a share expressed in % of GDP, so year-over-year movements in the Change column are percentage points (pp), not percent.
Is Costa Rica’s Education spending growing or shrinking?
Between 1980 and 2023 the series was shrinking overall: -27.7% in total — about 0.8% a year compounded.
Where does this data come from?
World Bank Open Data (CC BY-4.0), indicator SE.XPD.TOTL.GD.ZS. Values are reproduced as published; this page only computes summary statistics such as change, CAGR and extremes.
What are the most recent published figures?
The last five published years: 2023: 5.31%; 2022: 5.55%; 2021: 6.25%; 2020: 6.63%; 2019: 6.74%. Earlier years are in the full-history table below.
Related data
SE.XPD.TOTL.GD.ZS — Government Education Spending (% of GDP). Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Values are reproduced as published; this page computes the summary statistics (change, CAGR, extremes) from the underlying annual series. View the original dataset on data.worldbank.org.