Costa Rica vs Malaysia: Share of children achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower-secondary age
Costa Rica
38.4%
in 2022
Malaysia
41.1%
in 2022
Costa Rica rank
45th
Malaysia rank
44th
Share of children achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower-secondary age over time
- Costa Rica
- Malaysia
How they compare
Malaysia currently reports 41.1% against 38.4% in Costa Rica, a difference of 2.7%.
That makes Malaysia's figure about 1.1 times Costa Rica's.
Across all 5 years both countries report, Malaysia has been ahead every year.
Costa Rica ranks 45th and Malaysia ranks 44th of 53 countries.
Malaysia has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | Malaysia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 40.7% | 51.4% | 10.7% | Malaysia |
| 2010s | 41.0% | 52.3% | 11.3% | Malaysia |
| 2020s | 38.4% | 41.1% | 2.7% | Malaysia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of children achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower-secondary age, Costa Rica or Malaysia?
- Malaysia, at 41.1% against 38.4% in Costa Rica as of 2022.
- What is the difference in share of children achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower-secondary age between Costa Rica and Malaysia?
- 2.7%, with Malaysia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and Malaysia?
- 5 years are reported by both, from 2009 to 2022.
- How do Costa Rica and Malaysia rank globally for share of children achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower-secondary age?
- Costa Rica ranks 45th and Malaysia ranks 44th of 53 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of children achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower-secondary age. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Share of children who achieve minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower secondary education. This data accounts for school completion rates to estimate skills for all children, not just those in school.