Costa Rica - School enrollment, primary (% gross)

The value for School enrollment, primary (% gross) in Costa Rica was 115.01 as of 2020. As the graph below shows, over the past 50 years this indicator reached a maximum value of 116.95 in 2009 and a minimum value of 99.39 in 1985.

Definition: Gross enrollment ratio is the ratio of total enrollment, regardless of age, to the population of the age group that officially corresponds to the level of education shown. Primary education provides children with basic reading, writing, and mathematics skills along with an elementary understanding of such subjects as history, geography, natural science, social science, art, and music.

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (http://uis.unesco.org/)

See also:

Year Value
1970 105.35
1971 104.79
1972 105.87
1973 107.53
1974 106.01
1975 105.03
1976 107.14
1977 108.43
1978 107.32
1979 106.57
1980 105.66
1981 105.77
1982 102.83
1983 101.03
1984 99.78
1985 99.39
1986 100.33
1987 100.20
1988 101.07
1989 101.09
1990 101.31
1991 102.60
1992 103.70
1993 103.96
1994 103.75
1995 103.87
1996 104.20
1997 104.14
1998 104.28
1999 112.09
2000 109.10
2001 109.81
2002 109.20
2004 113.81
2005 111.86
2006 114.12
2007 113.69
2008 115.35
2009 116.95
2010 116.90
2011 115.89
2012 114.67
2013 112.32
2014 111.77
2015 111.30
2016 111.76
2017 110.83
2018 113.29
2019 116.18
2020 115.01

Development Relevance: Gross enrollment ratios indicate the capacity of each level of the education system, but a high ratio may reflect a substantial number of overage children enrolled in each grade because of repetition or late entry rather than a successful education system. The net enrollment rate excludes overage and underage students and more accurately captures the system's coverage and internal efficiency. Differences between the gross enrollment ratio and the net enrollment rate show the incidence of overage and underage enrollments.

Limitations and Exceptions: Enrollment indicators are based on annual school surveys, but do not necessarily reflect actual attendance or dropout rates during the year. Also, the length of education differs across countries and can influence enrollment rates, although the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) tries to minimize the difference. For example, a shorter duration for primary education tends to increase the rate; a longer one to decrease it (in part because older children are more at risk of dropping out). Moreover, age at enrollment may be inaccurately estimated or misstated, especially in communities where registration of births is not strictly enforced.

Other Notes: Data retrieved via API in March 2019. For detailed information on the observation level (e.g. National Estimation, UIS Estimation, or Category not applicable), please visit UIS.Stat (http://data.uis.unesco.org/).

Statistical Concept and Methodology: Gross enrollment ratio for primary school is calculated by dividing the number of students enrolled in primary education regardless of age by the population of the age group which officially corresponds to primary education, and multiplying by 100. Data on education are collected by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics from official responses to its annual education survey. All the data are mapped to the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) to ensure the comparability of education programs at the international level. The current version was formally adopted by UNESCO Member States in 2011. Population data are drawn from the United Nations Population Division. Using a single source for population data standardizes definitions, estimations, and interpolation methods, ensuring a consistent methodology across countries and minimizing potential enumeration problems in national censuses. The reference years reflect the school year for which the data are presented. In some countries the school year spans two calendar years (for example, from September 2010 to June 2011); in these cases the reference year refers to the year in which the school year ended (2011 in the example).

Aggregation method: Weighted average

Periodicity: Annual

Classification

Topic: Education Indicators

Sub-Topic: Participation