Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Guatemala, you would:
Health
live 6.7 years longer
In Guatemala, the average life expectancy is 73 years (71 years for men, 75 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 21.2% more likely to be obese
In Guatemala, 21.2% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Costa Rica, that number is 25.7% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 2.3 times more money
Guatemala has a GDP per capita of $8,400 as of 2020, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,700 as of 2020.
be 64.6% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Guatemala, 59.3% live below the poverty line as of 2014. In Costa Rica, however, that number is 21.0% as of 2019.
be 3.5 times more likely to be unemployed
In Guatemala, 2.3% of adults are unemployed as of 2017. In Costa Rica, that number is 8.1% as of 2017.
pay a 2.1 times higher top tax rate
Guatemala has a top tax rate of 7.0% as of 2016. In Costa Rica, the top tax rate is 15.0% as of 2016.
Life
be 71.6% less likely to die during childbirth
In Guatemala, approximately 95.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Costa Rica, 27.0 women do as of 2017.
be 21.2% more likely to be literate
In Guatemala, the literacy rate is 80.8% as of 2018. In Costa Rica, it is 97.9% as of 2018.
be 68.0% less likely to die during infancy
In Guatemala, approximately 26.2 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.
have 36.1% fewer children
In Guatemala, there are approximately 22.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Costa Rica, there are 14.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 62.0% more likely to have internet access
In Guatemala, approximately 50.0% of the population has internet access as of 2020. In Costa Rica, about 81.0% do as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 2.0 times more on education
Guatemala spends 3.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Costa Rica spends 6.7% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 17.7% more on healthcare
Guatemala spends 6.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In Costa Rica, that number is 7.3% of GDP as of 2019.
Geography
see 3.2 times more coastline
Guatemala has a total of 400 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, Superintendence of the Tax Administration, Directorate General of Taxation of Costa Rica.
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Guatemala? See an in-depth size comparison.