Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in Costa Rica

Costa Rica: Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper was 4.5% in 2019. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2019)
4.5%
Change on year
down 35.4%
World rank
106th
of 138 countries
All-time high
49.0%
in 1975
All-time low
4.5%
in 2019
Years of data
22
1970–2019

Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in Costa Rica, 1970–2019

010203040501970199420191970: 48.8 %1973: 47.1 %1975: 49 %1976: 49 %1979: 44.7 %1981: 44 %1982: 46.2 %1985: 47.2 %1986: 44.7 %1987: 43.6 %1989: 42.1 %1990: 41.4 %1991: 40.3 %2011: 13.6 %2012: 13.7 %2013: 12.7 %2014: 11.5 %2015: 9.8 %2016: 8.6 %2017: 12.3 %2018: 7 %2019: 4.5 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2019, out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in Costa Rica stood at 4.5%. That is the lowest value across all 22 years on record.

That represents a change of down 35.4% on the previous year and down 66.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in Costa Rica peaked at 49.0% in 1975 and was at its lowest, 4.5%, in 2019.

Costa Rica ranks 106th of 138 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in Costa Rica, year by year

Annual values for Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper secondary school age, male (%) in Costa Rica, 1970 to 2019.
Year % Change
1970 48.8%
1973 47.1% -3.4%
1975 49.0% +4.1%
1976 49.0% -0.0%
1979 44.7% -8.7%
1981 44.0% -1.7%
1982 46.2% +5.0%
1985 47.2% +2.1%
1986 44.7% -5.3%
1987 43.6% -2.4%
1989 42.1% -3.5%
1990 41.4% -1.5%
1991 40.3% -2.7%
2011 13.6% -66.3%
2012 13.7% +0.6%
2013 12.7% -7.4%
2014 11.5% -9.4%
2015 9.8% -14.4%
2016 8.6% -12.4%
2017 12.3% +43.2%
2018 7.0% -43.1%
2019 4.5% -35.4%

Costa Rica compared with similar countries

  • Costa Rica's 4.5% is below the median for high income countries, which is 4.7%, 97% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
  • Costa Rica's 4.5% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 18.3%, 25% of the median. (33 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in Costa Rica changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
2011 -66.3% 40.3% 13.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 47.7% 44.7% 49.0% 5
1980s 44.6% 42.1% 47.2% 6
1990s 40.9% 40.3% 41.4% 2
2010s 10.4% 4.5% 13.7% 9

Countries ranked near Costa Rica

  1. 103 Saint Kitts and Nevis 4.8% compare
  2. 104 Australia 4.7% compare
  3. 105 Chile 4.6% compare
  4. 107 Italy 4.4% compare
  5. 108 Norway 4.2% compare
  6. 109 Qatar 3.8% compare

See the full ranking of 181 places →

More reference data data for Costa Rica

All data for Costa Rica →

Frequently asked questions

What is out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in Costa Rica?
Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in Costa Rica was 4.5% in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper recorded in Costa Rica?
The highest recorded value was 49.0% in 1975.
What is the lowest out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper recorded in Costa Rica?
The lowest recorded value was 4.5% in 2019.
How does Costa Rica rank for out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper?
Costa Rica ranks 106th out of 138 countries with data for 2019.
Is out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper rising or falling in Costa Rica?
Over the last ten years it is down 66.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper secondary school age, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in Costa Rica. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 15 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-rate-for-adolescents-and-youth-of-lower-and-upper-secondary-school-age-male/costa-rica/

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About this data

Indicator
Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper secondary school age, male (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
181 places, 4,095 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Number of adolescents and youth of lower secondary and upper secondary school age who are not enrolled or attending school during in a given academic year. For more information, consult the UNESCO Institute of Statistics website: http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/