Costa Rica ranks highest in Latin America for its investment in public education, according to data from the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).

According to the commission’s recent report, Costa Rica led the region in the proportion of resources allocated by the central government for public education, with 7.16 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) dedicated to the activity.

Costa Rica was followed by Bolivia, with 5.85 percent of GDP earmarked for education, and Venezuela with 5.67 percent. Findings by the commission are based on data from 2015.

The Latin American region as a whole averaged a mere 3.90 percent of GDP invested in education, according to the ECLAC database.

Costa Rica also ranked top for the priority its gives to education within the country’s overall social spending.

The country dedicated the highest percentage for instruction in the region, with 64.3  percent of the total educational funding allocated for teaching. Costa Rica was followed by Honduras with 61 percent dedicated to instruction, and Jamaica with 54 percent, while the regional average was 37 percent.

The government noted that under the current Solís administration, investment in education, including improved infrastructure, reached historical levels with an annual budget of over 129 billion colones in 2015 and 2016.