Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Belgium, you would:
Health
be 56.1% less likely to die by suicide
Belgium has a suicide rate of 18.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 1.3 years less
In Belgium, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 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.
be 56.8% more likely to be obese
In Belgium, 20.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
see 74.3% less spent on your healthcare
Belgium spends $7,489 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 24.8% fewer doctors per person
Belgium has 35.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
Economy
be 15.7% more likely to be unemployed
In Belgium, 5.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
be 39.0% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Belgium, 12.3% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Costa Rica, however, that number is 17.1% as of 2025.
make 67.1% less money
Belgium has a GDP per capita of $60,750 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
Life
be 6.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Belgium, approximately 4.0 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 2.9 times more likely to die during infancy
In Belgium, approximately 3.1 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.
Expenditures
spend 15.4% less on education
Belgium spends 6.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Costa Rica spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 36.4% less on healthcare
Belgium spends 10.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 19.4 times more coastline
Belgium has a total of 66 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Safety
be 16.4 times more likely to be murdered
Belgium has a homicide rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, that number is 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 3.4 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Belgium, road accidents kill 4.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 88.9% less strain on fresh water
Belgium withdraws 53% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
find 47.3% less home broadband
Belgium has 44.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
use 67.8% less electricity
Belgium uses 7,099 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
emit 77.7% less CO2
Belgium emits 7.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Belgium vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Belgium? See an in-depth size comparison.