Costa Rica vs Panama
Costa Rica vs Panama: Adult literacy
Adult literacy: 97.4% in Costa Rica in 2011 and 96.2% in Panama in 2024, by UNESCO estimates. In 2000 the value was higher in Costa Rica, by 3 percentage points, or 1.03 times that in Panama.
% of adults · UNESCO
What the numbers say
- Costa Rica has been higher in every year both have figures for since 2000.
- The world as a whole: 81.1% in 2000.
Every year
% of adults · UNESCO
| Year | Costa Rica | Panama | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | – | 96.2 | 87.7 |
| 2023 | – | 96.1 | 87.6 |
| 2022 | – | – | 87.4 |
| 2021 | – | 96.2 | 87.2 |
| 2020 | – | – | 87 |
| 2019 | – | 95.7 | 86.8 |
| 2018 | – | 95.4 | 86.8 |
| 2017 | – | – | 86.5 |
| 2016 | – | – | 86.3 |
| 2015 | – | – | 86 |
| 2014 | – | – | 85.6 |
| 2013 | – | – | 85.2 |
| 2012 | – | – | 84.9 |
| 2011 | 97.4 | – | 84.7 |
| 2010 | – | 94.1 | 84.4 |
| 2009 | – | – | 83.8 |
| 2008 | – | – | 83.5 |
| 2007 | – | – | 83.1 |
| 2006 | – | – | 82.5 |
| 2005 | – | – | 82.6 |
| 2004 | – | – | 82.6 |
| 2003 | – | – | 82.2 |
| 2002 | – | – | 81.7 |
| 2001 | – | – | 81.4 |
| 2000 | 94.9 | 91.9 | 81.1 |
| 1999 | – | – | 80.9 |
| 1998 | – | – | 80.5 |
| 1997 | – | – | 79.3 |
| 1996 | – | – | 77.3 |
| 1995 | – | – | 76.9 |
| 1994 | – | – | 76.4 |
| 1993 | – | – | 76 |
| 1992 | – | – | 75.5 |
| 1991 | – | – | 75.1 |
| 1990 | – | 88.8 | 74.6 |
| 1989 | – | – | 74.1 |
| 1988 | – | – | 73.6 |
| 1987 | – | – | 71.9 |
| 1986 | – | – | 71.3 |
| 1985 | – | – | 70.7 |
| 1984 | 92.6 | – | 70.2 |
| 1983 | – | – | 69.5 |
| 1982 | – | – | 68.9 |
| 1981 | – | – | 68.4 |
| 1980 | – | 88.1 | 67.8 |
| 1979 | – | – | 67.2 |
| 1978 | – | – | 66.5 |
| 1977 | – | – | 65.9 |
| 1976 | – | – | 65.6 |
| 1975 | – | – | 65.4 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- The share of people aged 15 and over who can read and write a short, simple statement about their everyday life.
- Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics, via the World Bank.
- The faint line is the world as a whole, as the same source counts it.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
Costa Rica vs Panama
Health
- Life expectancyCosta Rica: 80.8 years in 2023Panama: 79.6 years in 2023
- Child mortalityCosta Rica: 1 per 100 live births in 2024Panama: 1.5 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityCosta Rica: 6.5 per 1,000 live births in 2023Panama: 12.6 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionCosta Rica: 2.91% in 2017Panama: 2.68% in 2017
- Suicide rateCosta Rica: 7.8 per 100,000 people in 2017Panama: 5 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationCosta Rica: 5.11 million people in 2023Panama: 4.46 million people in 2023
- Population growthCosta Rica: 0.49% a year in 2023Panama: 1.29% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateCosta Rica: 1.33 births per woman in 2023Panama: 2.12 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationCosta Rica: 79.7% in 2025Panama: 66.2% in 2025
- Median ageCosta Rica: 34.1 years in 2023Panama: 29.6 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overCosta Rica: 11.7% in 2023Panama: 9.1% in 2023
- Net migration rateCosta Rica: 0.2 per 1,000 people in 2023Panama: 1.6 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingCosta Rica: 0% of GDP in 2025Panama: 0% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsCosta Rica: $0 in 2025Panama: $0 in 2025
- Military spending per personCosta Rica: $0 in 2025Panama: $0 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingCosta Rica: 0% of government spending in 2025Panama: 0% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelCosta Rica: 10,000 people in 2020Panama: 28,000 people in 2020
- National powerCosta Rica: 0.03% of world capability in 2022Panama: 0.03% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersCosta Rica: 0.41% of the labour force in 2020Panama: 1.33% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsCosta Rica: 8 million TIV in 2019Panama: 2 million TIV in 1989
- Arms exportsCosta Rica: 3 million TIV in 2009Panama: 1 million TIV in 2019