• More than one-tenth of people residing in Costa Rica’s indigenous territories can not read or write, and
• almost 1/5 of people of African descent do not have access to social security, reports the UN.

“It is fundamental to improve human development for women, Afro-descendants, indigenous people, people with disabilities, rural dwellers, among other groups,” said the United Nations Development Program in a presentation of a report on Costa Rica this week.

While Costa Rica has made significant progress in human development, the agency said members of these groups are being left behind.

In the latest World Report on Human Development, Costa Rica ranks 66th out of 188 countries, and ranks 9th in the Latin America and Caribbean region in human development.

Gabriela Mata, UNDP economist, noted that achievements in human development have not reached all people equally.

“Despite the significant increase in per capita gross national income, which has doubled since 1990, the incidence of poverty, measured by income, has remained stagnant in about 20 percent of households,” said Mata.

“In addition, 20 percent of the highest income households accounted for 50.7 percent of total household incomes in the last year. At the other extreme, the 20 percent of households with the lowest incomes perceived only 3.9 percent of total household income,” continued Mata.

UNDP also noted that according to the 2011 census, about 50,000 children aged six to 12 were not in the educational system, which clearly shows that there are people who are falling behind. In addition, data from the Ministry of Education indicate that of those who enter primary school, six out of 10 do not complete high school.

The 2011 census also shows the inequalities faced by the Afro-descendant population, the indigenous population and people with disabilities. Having up to date, quality data on the gaps faced by different populations and disaggregated by gender is one of the recommendations of the UNDP Report.

Costa Rica’s Afro-descendant population has less access to education and social security, and a higher level of poverty, said the UNDP. On average, they have less schooling than the national average (7.7 years compared to 8.5 years nationally). Almost 1/5 of people of African descent do not have access to social security, which is five percentage points above the rest of the population. In addition, 21 percent of Afro-descendant households qualify as poor, according to the Unsatisfied Basic Needs (NBI) index, an incidence 4 points higher than the national average.

The indigenous population has less access to education and employment, and also a higher incidence of unsatisfied basic needs. More than one-tenth of people residing in Costa Rica’s indigenous territories can not read or write, compared to 2.4 percent of the total population. The employment rate of the population of indigenous territories is 39 percent compared to 52 percent nationwide. And finally, 70 percent of homes in indigenous territories report having unsatisfied basic needs compared to the national average of 26.4 percent of homes.

People with disabilities experience far fewer educational and work opportunities. Only 10 percent of people with disabilities aged 18 or over hold an educational degree; and only one third of people with disabilities are employed.

In 2015, Costa Rica committed itself to meeting the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and in 2016 became the first country in the world to sign a National Pact in which Costa Rican society committed  to ending poverty and inequality, promote education and health for all, increase environmental protection, among many other ideals.

Human development for all is an achievable goal, said the UNDP, who recommended the development and implementation of an action plan to immediately address the inequalities faced by the countries most vulnerable groups.