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Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Costa Rica

Costa Rica: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 5.3% in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
5.3%
Change on year
down 4.2%
World rank
48th
of 199 countries
All-time high
7.3%
in 1980
All-time low
3.4%
in 1995
Years of data
32
1980–2023

Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Costa Rica, 1980–2023

024681980200120231980: 7.3 % of GDP1982: 4.9 % of GDP1983: 5 % of GDP1986: 4.4 % of GDP1988: 4 % of GDP1989: 4.1 % of GDP1995: 3.4 % of GDP1996: 3.9 % of GDP1999: 5.4 % of GDP2000: 4.7 % of GDP2001: 4.8 % of GDP2002: 5.2 % of GDP2003: 5.1 % of GDP2004: 4.9 % of GDP2006: 4.6 % of GDP2007: 4.6 % of GDP2008: 4.9 % of GDP2009: 6 % of GDP2010: 6.6 % of GDP2011: 6.4 % of GDP2012: 6.6 % of GDP2013: 6.7 % of GDP2014: 6.7 % of GDP2015: 6.9 % of GDP2016: 6.9 % of GDP2017: 7.1 % of GDP2018: 6.8 % of GDP2019: 6.7 % of GDP2020: 6.6 % of GDP2021: 6.2 % of GDP2022: 5.5 % of GDP2023: 5.3 % of GDP

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.

Analysis

Costa Rica recorded 5.3% for government spending on education overall vs. primary education in 2023.

The figure is down 4.2% on the previous year and down 20.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Costa Rica peaked at 7.3% in 1980 and was at its lowest, 3.4%, in 1995.

That places Costa Rica 48th out of 199 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 32 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 5.0% 4.0% 7.3% 6
1990s 4.2% 3.4% 5.4% 3
2000s 5.0% 4.6% 6.0% 9
2010s 6.7% 6.4% 7.1% 10
2020s 5.9% 5.3% 6.6% 4

Countries ranked near Costa Rica

  1. 45 Dominica 5.4% compare
  2. 46 Burkina Faso 5.3% compare
  3. 47 France 5.3% compare
  4. 49 Tonga 5.3% compare
  5. 50 Slovenia 5.3% compare
  6. 51 Austria 5.3% compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More reference data data for Costa Rica

All data for Costa Rica →

Frequently asked questions

What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Costa Rica?
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Costa Rica was 5.3% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Costa Rica?
The highest recorded value was 7.3% in 1980.
What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Costa Rica?
The lowest recorded value was 3.4% in 1995.
How does Costa Rica rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
Costa Rica ranks 48th out of 199 countries with data for 2023.
Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in Costa Rica?
Over the last ten years it is down 20.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Government spending on education overall vs. primary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education
Unit
% of GDP
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
199 places, 5,140 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

Total annual general government spending on all levels of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP.