Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Brazil, you would:
Health
live 5.0 years longer
In Brazil, the average life expectancy is 76 years (73 years for men, 79 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.
have 14.0% more doctors per person
Brazil has 23.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
Economy
make 86.4% more money
Brazil has a GDP per capita of $10,713 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
be 14.6% more likely to be unemployed
In Brazil, 6.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
Life
be 64.2% less likely to die during childbirth
In Brazil, approximately 67.0 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 26.0% less likely to die during infancy
In Brazil, approximately 12.3 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 17.6% fewer children
In Brazil, there are approximately 12.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Costa Rica, there are 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 29.4% less on healthcare
Brazil spends 9.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 82.8% less coastline
Brazil has a total of 7,491 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Infrastructure
live with 3.9 times more strain on fresh water
Brazil withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
use 25.6% less electricity
Brazil uses 3,068 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 34.8% less likely to die from air pollution
In Brazil, air pollution causes 23.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 29.7% less CO2
Brazil emits 2.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2019). How we calculate this
Compare further: Brazil vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Brazil? See an in-depth size comparison.