Childhood in

Costa Rica 

by : charlotte
horton
 table of contents
introduction page 1

education page 2

economy page 3

strengths/weaknesses
page 4

action plan page 5

bibliography page 6
 introduction
Costa Rica has one of the best situations for
children in Central and Latin America. They
have an outstanding education system, and
a very impressive healthcare system,
allotting to Costa Rica having the longest
life expectancy in Latin America (World
Bank, n.d.). Children thrive in this
country. Some issues are still apparent
though. They include: violence against
children, which is a pretty high statistic,
and child labor. Although the
latter percentage isn't high, this still means
that numerous children are being put to
work aged between 5 and 14, which goes
against the Convention on the Rights of the
Child (CRC). Despite some small setbacks
though, Costa Rica really has a beautiful
environment for children that allows them
to thrive and follow their dreams.
 education
Costa Rica's education system is the best in
Central America. This is crucial for kids
growing up there, because children need a
fundamental education and learning
environment to be able to really grow and
succeed. Below are some positive aspects of
Costa Rica's education system:
-primary school is free and mandatory
-their education system is of high quality,
and many people seem to have access to it
- only 8% of children are uneducated
-the literacy rate is 95% for children over the
age of 15
-Costa Rica was the first country in Central
America to make education free and
mandatory
(Humanium, n.d.)
 economy
Costa Rica's economy is fairly stable and
developed. This makes life easier for a lot of
kids. Unfortunately there is a percentage
that lives below the poverty line, which is a
setback for those kids. And with a lot of the
economy being based off of agriculture, it
leaves some children having to work in that
field just to be able to support their
family. Below are some facts about Costa
Rica's economy:
-they have a large middle class
-about 20.5% of households in Costa Rica live
in poverty, which is an improvement from
earlier years
-most of Costa rica’s economy is based off of
agriculture and tourism
(Arias, L, 2016, October 26)
 strengths/weaknesses
Below are some statistics relating to
childhood in Costa Rica. The first two
E

statistics seem to be a bit concerning, as the

first one pertains to some health conditions
that are pretty bad, resulting in these infant
deaths. The second statistic is a bit worrying
as well especially considering that Costa
Rica's education system is highly valued.
Looking at the last three statistics, it is very
satisfying. The attendance percentages are
high, the expected years of schooling
number is high as well. The life expectancy
is pretty high also, which means lots of kids
survive. Overall, these statistics are helpful
in looking at the childhood situation in Costa
Rica, and backing up some claims being
made about the experiences there.
-663 under-five deaths
-18% attendance in early childhood
education
-96% attendance ratio in primary education
-71% attendance ratio in secondary
education
-Expected years of schooling: 14.2 yrs
-Life expectancy for Costa Ricans in 2015 is
79.6 yrs
 action plan
Overall, Costa Rica has a very stable and
healthy environment for children. The next
steps to improve the conditions for children
would include decreasing mortality rates
and poverty rates, and gaining more
attendance in early education. In Costa
Rica, the indigenous population is very
much excluded from society, it would help to
include those people, and that would bring
some of the rates up. Health conditions in
certain areas need to be improved, there
needs to be more clean water, and resources,
and that will up the mortality rates and
poverty rates. As for early education, such
as preschool, just increasing awareness on
how important education is at that stage,
will help the rates rise. These are just a few
suggestions that will help Costa Rica
improve its already stable and beautiful
environment for children.
 bibliography
Humanium. (n.d.). Children of Costa Rica. Retrieved from
https://www.humanium.org/en/costa-rica/

Arias, L. (2016, October 26). Costa Rica Records Lowest

Poverty Figures in Seven Years. Retrieved from
http://www.ticotimes.net/2016/10/27/costa-rica-poverty-rates

Costa Rican Economy. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.costarica.com/business/costa-rican-economy

United Nations Development Programme. (n.d.). Human

Development Reports. Retrieved from
http://hdr.undp.org/en/countries/profiles/CRI

Kahn, C. (2016, September 01). Costa Rica Becomes A Magnet

For Migrants. Retrieved from
https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2016/09/01/492066728/
costa-rica-becomes-a-magnet-for-migrants

Unicef. (n.d.). Costa Rica. Retrieved from

https://data.unicef.org/country/cri/

all images courtesy of canva