UIS: Percentage of population age 25+ whose highest level of in Costa Rica

Costa Rica: UIS: Percentage of population age 25+ whose highest level of was 17.4% in 2018. ▲ Rising

Latest (2018)
17.4%
Change on year
up 3.5%
World rank
68th
of 81 countries
All-time high
17.4%
in 2018
All-time low
4.9%
in 1973
Years of data
11
1973–2018

UIS: Percentage of population age 25+ whose highest level of in Costa Rica, 1973–2018

510151973199520181973: 4.92007: 15.92008: 15.32009: 15.62010: 15.42011: 15.92012: 16.32014: 16.62015: 162016: 16.82018: 17.4

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Analysis

In 2018, uis: percentage of population age 25+ whose highest level of in Costa Rica stood at 17.4%. That is the highest value across all 11 years on record.

The figure is up 3.5% on the previous year and up 13.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, uis: percentage of population age 25+ whose highest level of in Costa Rica peaked at 17.4% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 4.9%, in 1973.

That places Costa Rica 68th out of 81 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 11 years of available data.

UIS: Percentage of population age 25+ whose highest level of in Costa Rica, year by year

Annual values for UIS: Percentage of population age 25+ whose highest level of education is upper secondary, both sexes in Costa Rica, 1973 to 2018.
Year Value Change
1973 4.9%
2007 15.9% +226.9%
2008 15.3% -3.8%
2009 15.6% +2.0%
2010 15.4% -0.7%
2011 15.9% +3.2%
2012 16.3% +2.4%
2014 16.6% +1.5%
2015 16.0% -3.3%
2016 16.8% +4.8%
2018 17.4% +3.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 4.9% 4.9% 4.9% 1
2000s 15.6% 15.3% 15.9% 3
2010s 16.4% 15.4% 17.4% 7

Countries ranked near Costa Rica

  1. 65 Bolivia 18.6% compare
  2. 66 Portugal 17.9% compare
  3. 67 Singapore 17.8% compare
  4. 69 Uruguay 17.1% compare
  5. 70 Qatar 17.1% compare
  6. 71 Palestine 16.7% compare

See the full ranking of 81 places →

More reference data data for Costa Rica

All data for Costa Rica →

Frequently asked questions

What is uis: percentage of population age 25+ whose highest level of in Costa Rica?
Uis: percentage of population age 25+ whose highest level of in Costa Rica was 17.4% in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest uis: percentage of population age 25+ whose highest level of recorded in Costa Rica?
The highest recorded value was 17.4% in 2018.
What is the lowest uis: percentage of population age 25+ whose highest level of recorded in Costa Rica?
The lowest recorded value was 4.9% in 1973.
How does Costa Rica rank for uis: percentage of population age 25+ whose highest level of?
Costa Rica ranks 68th out of 81 countries with data for 2018.
Is uis: percentage of population age 25+ whose highest level of rising or falling in Costa Rica?
Over the last ten years it is up 13.9%. 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, published as part of UIS: Percentage of population age 25+ whose highest level of education is upper secondary, both sexes. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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UIS: Percentage of population age 25+ whose highest level of in Costa Rica. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 02 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/uis-percentage-of-population-age-25-whose-highest-level-of-education-is-upper-secondary/costa-rica/

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About this data

Indicator
UIS: Percentage of population age 25+ whose highest level of education is upper secondary, both sexes
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
81 places, 897 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

The percentage of population (age 25 and over) with completed upper secondary education (ISCED 3) as the highest level of educational attainment. This indicator is calculated by dividing the number of persons aged 25 years and above who completed upper secondary education as the highest level of educational attainment by the total population of the same age group and multiplying the result by 100. The UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) educational attainment dataset shows the educational composition of the population aged 25 years and above and hence the stock and quality of human capital within a country. The dataset also reflects the structure and performance of the education system and its accumulated impact on human capital formation. For more information, visit the UNESCO Institute for Statistics website: http://www.uis.unesco.org/