Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Colombia, you would:
Health
live 4.8 years longer
In Colombia, the average life expectancy is 75 years (71 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2022. In Costa Rica, that number is 80 years (77 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2022.
be 15.2% more likely to be obese
In Colombia, 22.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Costa Rica, that number is 25.7% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 47.0% more money
Colombia has a GDP per capita of $13,400 as of 2020, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,700 as of 2020.
be 22.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Colombia, 10.5% of adults are unemployed as of 2019. In Costa Rica, that number is 8.1% as of 2017.
be 41.2% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Colombia, 35.7% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Costa Rica, however, that number is 21.0% as of 2019.
pay a 54.5% lower top tax rate
Colombia has a top tax rate of 33.0% as of 2016. In Costa Rica, the top tax rate is 15.0% as of 2016.
Life
be 67.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In Colombia, approximately 83.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Costa Rica, 27.0 women do as of 2017.
be 28.0% less likely to die during infancy
In Colombia, approximately 11.7 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Costa Rica, on the other hand, 8.4 children do as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 15.7% more likely to have internet access
In Colombia, approximately 70.0% of the population has internet access as of 2020. In Costa Rica, about 81.0% do as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 48.9% more on education
Colombia spends 4.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2019. Costa Rica spends 6.7% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
Geography
see 59.8% less coastline
Colombia has a total of 3,208 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Directorate of National Taxes and Customs (DIAN), Directorate General of Taxation of Costa Rica.
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Colombia? See an in-depth size comparison.