Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Benin, you would:
Health
live 20.0 years longer
In Benin, the average life expectancy is 61 years (60 years for men, 62 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 14.0 times more spent on your healthcare
Benin spends $138 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 12.4 times more doctors per person
Benin has 2.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
have 2.1 times more access to essential health services
Benin scores 38 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Costa Rica scores 81 as of 2021.
be 2.7 times more likely to be obese
In Benin, 12.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
be 13.2% more likely to die by suicide
Benin has a suicide rate of 7.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 12.0 times more money
Benin has a GDP per capita of $1,658 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
be 4.3 times more likely to be unemployed
In Benin, 1.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
Life
be 95.4% less likely to die during childbirth
In Benin, approximately 518.0 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 90.7% more likely to be literate
In Benin, the literacy rate is 51.4% as of 2022. In Costa Rica, it is 98.0% as of 2021.
be 79.9% less likely to die during infancy
In Benin, approximately 45.2 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 70.1% fewer children
In Benin, there are approximately 33.4 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 75.4% more likely to have access to electricity
In Benin, approximately 57% of people have electricity access (70% in urban areas, and 44% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 2.6 times more likely to have internet access
In Benin, approximately 34.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Costa Rica, about 87.2% do as of 2024.
be 43.4% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Benin, approximately 70% of people have access to drinking water (76% in urban areas, and 63% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 64.4% more on education
Benin spends 3.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Costa Rica spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 2.1 times more on healthcare
Benin spends 3.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 10.7 times more coastline
Benin has a total of 121 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Safety
be 37.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Benin, road accidents kill 24.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 83.2 times more home broadband
Benin has 0.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
use 19.9 times more electricity
Benin uses 115 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
live with 6.0 times more strain on fresh water
Benin withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
Environment
be 80.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Benin, air pollution causes 77.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.3 times more CO2
Benin emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Benin vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Benin? See an in-depth size comparison.