Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Bulgaria, you would:
Health
live 5.2 years longer
In Bulgaria, the average life expectancy is 76 years (72 years for men, 80 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 11.0% more access to essential health services
Bulgaria scores 73 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Costa Rica scores 81 as of 2021.
be 15.2% less likely to die by suicide
Bulgaria has a suicide rate of 9.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 60.9% more likely to be obese
In Bulgaria, 20.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
see 35.1% less spent on your healthcare
Bulgaria spends $2,970 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 37.9% fewer doctors per person
Bulgaria has 43.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
Economy
be 19.3% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Bulgaria, 21.2% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Costa Rica, however, that number is 17.1% as of 2025.
be 93.2% more likely to be unemployed
In Bulgaria, 3.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
Life
have 20.4% more children
In Bulgaria, there are approximately 8.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Costa Rica, there are 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 4.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Bulgaria, approximately 6.0 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 97.8% more likely to die during infancy
In Bulgaria, approximately 4.6 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 13.3% less on healthcare
Bulgaria spends 7.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 18.0% more on education
Bulgaria spends 4.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Costa Rica spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 3.6 times more coastline
Bulgaria has a total of 354 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Safety
be 16.3 times more likely to be murdered
Bulgaria has a homicide rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 84.5% more likely to die in a road accident
In Bulgaria, road accidents kill 8.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 85.4% less strain on fresh water
Bulgaria withdraws 40% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
find 37.1% less home broadband
Bulgaria has 37.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
use 57.4% less electricity
Bulgaria uses 5,360 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 76.2% less likely to die from air pollution
In Bulgaria, air pollution causes 63.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 69.3% less CO2
Bulgaria emits 5.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Bulgaria vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Bulgaria? See an in-depth size comparison.