Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Algeria, you would:
Health
live 4.5 years longer
In Algeria, the average life expectancy is 76 years (75 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
see 2.6 times more spent on your healthcare
Algeria spends $732 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 61.9% more doctors per person
Algeria has 16.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
be 38.7% more likely to be obese
In Algeria, 23.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
be 3.7 times more likely to die by suicide
Algeria has a suicide rate of 2.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 41.2% less likely to be unemployed
In Algeria, 11.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
make 3.3 times more money
Algeria has a GDP per capita of $6,051 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
Life
be 61.3% less likely to die during childbirth
In Algeria, approximately 62.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Costa Rica, 24.0 women do as of 2023.
be 20.4% more likely to be literate
In Algeria, the literacy rate is 81.4% as of 2018. In Costa Rica, it is 98.0% as of 2021.
be 53.3% less likely to die during infancy
In Algeria, approximately 19.5 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Costa Rica, on the other hand, 9.1 children do as of 2024.
have 47.0% fewer children
In Algeria, there are approximately 18.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Costa Rica, there are 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 12.6% more likely to have internet access
In Algeria, approximately 77.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Costa Rica, about 87.2% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 40.9% less on education
Algeria spends 9.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Costa Rica spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 57.9% more on healthcare
Algeria spends 4.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 29.3% more coastline
Algeria has a total of 998 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Safety
be 15.3% less likely to die in a road accident
In Algeria, road accidents kill 18.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 15.3 times more likely to be murdered
Algeria has a homicide rate of 1.2 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 74.8% more home broadband
Algeria has 13.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
live with 95.9% less strain on fresh water
Algeria withdraws 145% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
use 24.9% more electricity
Algeria uses 1,828 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 68.8% less likely to die from air pollution
In Algeria, air pollution causes 48.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 59.0% less CO2
Algeria emits 4.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), The World Factbook (2018–2021), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Algeria vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Algeria? See an in-depth size comparison.