In 2021, the rate of adult literacy as share of the country's population 15 years and above in Costa Rica amounted to 98.04 percent. Between 1984 and 2021, the rate of adult literacy rose by 5.04 percentage points.

The youth literacy rate (people aged 15-24) in Costa Rica stood at 99.53 percent in 2021. Between 1984 and 2021, the youth literacy rate rose by 2.53 percentage points, though the increase followed an uneven trajectory rather than a consistent upward trend.

Historical dataset showing Costa Rica literacy rate by year from 1984 to 2021.

Costa Rica CR: Literacy Rate: Adult Male: % of Males Aged 15 and Above data was reported at 97.990 % in 2021. This records an increase from the previous number of 97.000 % for 2011. Costa Rica CR: Literacy Rate: Adult Male: % of Males Aged 15 and Above data is updated yearly, averaging 96.000 % from Dec 1984 (Median) to 2021, with 4 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 97.990 % in 2021 and a record low of 93.000 % in 1984. Costa Rica CR: Literacy Rate: Adult Male: % of Males Aged 15 and Above data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Costa Rica – Table CR.World Bank.WDI: Social: Education Statistics. Adult literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15 and above who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.;UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). UIS.Stat Bulk Data Download Service. Accessed April 5, 2025. https://apiportal.uis.unesco.org/bdds.;Weighted average;

Actual value and historical data chart for Costa Rica Literacy Rate Adult Total Percent Of People Ages 15 And Above

Costa Rica CR: Literacy Rate: Youth Male: % of Males Aged 15-24 data was reported at 99.460 % in 2021. This records an increase from the previous number of 74.780 % for 2018. Costa Rica CR: Literacy Rate: Youth Male: % of Males Aged 15-24 data is updated yearly, averaging 97.000 % from Dec 1984 (Median) to 2021, with 5 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 99.460 % in 2021 and a record low of 74.780 % in 2018. Costa Rica CR: Literacy Rate: Youth Male: % of Males Aged 15-24 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Costa Rica – Table CR.World Bank.WDI: Social: Education Statistics. Youth literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15-24 who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.;UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). UIS.Stat Bulk Data Download Service. Accessed April 5, 2025. https://apiportal.uis.unesco.org/bdds.;Weighted average;

In 2011, the literacy rate of people ages 15 years and over in Costa Rica was estimated at about 97 percent. Between 1984 and 2011, the rate rose by approximately four percentage points.

Actual value and historical data chart for Costa Rica Literacy Rate Youth Male Percent Of Males Ages 15 24

Actual value and historical data chart for Costa Rica Elderly Literacy Rate Population 65 Years Female Percent

The average for 2021 based on 3 countries was 94.81 percent. The highest value was in Costa Rica: 98.04 percent and the lowest value was in Puerto Rico: 92.4 percent. The indicator is available from 1970 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Actual value and historical data chart for Costa Rica Literacy Rate Youth Female Percent Of Females Ages 15 24

Literacy rate, adult male (% of males ages 15 and above) in Costa Rica was reported at 97.99 % in 2021, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Costa Rica - Literacy rate, adult male (% of males ages 15 and above) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on October of 2025.

The average for 2021 based on 5 countries was 97.62 percent. The highest value was in Costa Rica: 99.53 percent and the lowest value was in Puerto Rico: 92.4 percent. The indicator is available from 1970 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Language and cognitive assessment of preschool children from Costa Rica

Data set Study from three countries: Spain, Colombia, Costa RicaAuthor: Ana Pérez-Escoda

Costa Rica: Male literacy rate, ages 15-24: Pour cet indicateur, UNESCO fournit des données pour la Costa Rica de 1984 à 2021. La valeur moyenne pour Costa Rica pendant cette période était de 93.45 pour cent avec un minimum de 74.78 pour cent en 2018 et un maximum de 99.46 pour cent en 2021.

In 2025, Costa Rica was the Latin American country with the highest gender gap index, with 0.786 points. Another Central American country, Belize, had the worst score in the region with 0.7 points. This means that, on average, women in this country have 30 percent less opportunities than men in education, health, the economy, and politics.

Gender Inequality in Latin America
Based on a 2023 survey conducted among the populace in each nation, Mexico has been perceived as having the least gender-based wage equality, receiving a score of 0.5 out of 1, which is the lowest. In contrast, Barbados is regarded as the most gender-equal among the LATAM countries. Furthermore, the labor market exhibits a male bias, as women have consistently experienced higher unemployment rates over the years, with a rate of 11.3 percent as of 2021. Additionally, it is more common across the countries to observe a greater proportion of females experiencing higher poverty rates, with Mexican and Colombian women being the primary two groups representing this circumstance.

Literacy gender gap
As education progresses in both the educational and labor sectors, the goal is to ensure that basic literacy is accessible to everyone. However, research data reveals that the gender parity index for adult and youth literacy in Latin America remains at around 1 percent. This means that one woman out of 100 is less likely to possess literacy skills compared to men. Furthermore, this rate shows a significant gender gap, with 93.71 percent of females in this region accounting for this skill. Consequently, in the labor field, there are implications for skilled workers due to this literacy gap, resulting in higher rates of unemployment, a lack of training, and a non-educational population. This issue affects approximately 28.4 percent of women in Latin America.

La moyenne pour 2021 était de 95.22 pour cent. La valeur la plus élevée était au Costa Rica: 98.04 pour cent et la valeur la plus basse était au Porto Rico: 92.4 pour cent. Vous trouverez ci-dessous un graphique pour tous les pays où les données sont disponibles.

La moyenne pour 2021 était de 97.62 pour cent. La valeur la plus élevée était au Costa Rica: 99.53 pour cent et la valeur la plus basse était au Porto Rico: 92.4 pour cent. Vous trouverez ci-dessous un graphique pour tous les pays où les données sont disponibles.

La moyenne pour 2021 était de 97.7 pour cent. La valeur la plus élevée était au Costa Rica: 99.61 pour cent et la valeur la plus basse était au Porto Rico: 92.4 pour cent. Vous trouverez ci-dessous un graphique pour tous les pays où les données sont disponibles.