Labor force with advanced education in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Labor force with advanced education was 72.5% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Labor force with advanced education in Costa Rica, 2001–2025
Source: Education and Mismatch Indicators database (EMI), International Labour Organization (ILO). Measured in % of total working-age population with advanced education.
Analysis
Costa Rica recorded 72.5% for labor force with advanced education in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.3% on the previous year and down 8.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force with advanced education in Costa Rica peaked at 81.3% in 2006 and was at its lowest, 72.3%, in 2024.
That places Costa Rica 103rd out of 125 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Labor force with advanced education in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | % of total working-age population with advanced education | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 80.7% | — |
| 2002 | 80.7% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 80.9% | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 79.5% | -1.7% |
| 2005 | 80.0% | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 81.3% | +1.6% |
| 2007 | 81.0% | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 80.0% | -1.2% |
| 2009 | 79.5% | -0.6% |
| 2010 | 75.2% | -5.4% |
| 2011 | 74.6% | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 78.5% | +5.2% |
| 2013 | 80.2% | +2.2% |
| 2014 | 78.8% | -1.8% |
| 2015 | 78.9% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 75.5% | -4.4% |
| 2017 | 75.6% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 75.8% | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 79.7% | +5.2% |
| 2020 | 77.8% | -2.4% |
| 2021 | 77.8% | -0.0% |
| 2022 | 74.5% | -4.2% |
| 2023 | 73.0% | -2.1% |
| 2024 | 72.3% | -0.9% |
| 2025 | 72.5% | +0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 80.4% | 79.5% | 81.3% | 9 |
| 2010s | 77.3% | 74.6% | 80.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 74.7% | 72.3% | 77.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
More work & labour data for Costa Rica
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.9965 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.9952 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.9977 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.61 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.29 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 5,205 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 569.35 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 1,908 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 1,868 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 3,776 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labor force with advanced education in Costa Rica?
- Labor force with advanced education in Costa Rica was 72.5% in 2025, according to Education and Mismatch Indicators database (EMI), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest labor force with advanced education recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 81.3% in 2006.
- What is the lowest labor force with advanced education recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 72.3% in 2024.
- How does Costa Rica rank for labor force with advanced education?
- Costa Rica ranks 103rd out of 125 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor force with advanced education rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from Education and Mismatch Indicators database (EMI), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Labor force with advanced education (% of total working-age population with advanced education). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
The ratio of the labor force with advanced education to the working-age population with advanced education. Advanced education comprises short-cycle tertiary education, a bachelor’s degree or equivalent education level, a master’s degree or equivalent education level, or doctoral degree or equivalent education level according to the International Standard Classification of Education 2011 (ISCED 2011).