Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Burkina Faso, you would:
Health
live 19.7 years longer
In Burkina Faso, the average life expectancy is 61 years (59 years for men, 63 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 8.6 times more spent on your healthcare
Burkina Faso spends $224 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 18.2 times more doctors per person
Burkina Faso has 1.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
have 2.0 times more access to essential health services
Burkina Faso scores 40 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Costa Rica scores 81 as of 2021.
be 4.3 times more likely to be obese
In Burkina Faso, 7.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 17.4 times more money
Burkina Faso has a GDP per capita of $1,148 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
be 96.6% more likely to be unemployed
In Burkina Faso, 3.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
Life
be 90.1% less likely to die during childbirth
In Burkina Faso, approximately 242.0 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 2.4 times more likely to be literate
In Burkina Faso, the literacy rate is 41.6% as of 2023. In Costa Rica, it is 98.0% as of 2021.
be 79.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Burkina Faso, approximately 43.6 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.
have 68.1% fewer children
In Burkina Faso, there are approximately 31.3 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 4.6 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Burkina Faso, approximately 22% of people have electricity access (63% in urban areas, and 2% 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 3.1 times more likely to have internet access
In Burkina Faso, approximately 28.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Costa Rica, about 87.2% do as of 2024.
be 99.6% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Burkina Faso, approximately 50% of people have access to drinking water (81% in urban areas, and 34% 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 11.9% less on healthcare
Burkina Faso spends 7.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 44.2% less likely to die in a road accident
In Burkina Faso, road accidents kill 27.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 27.4 times more home broadband
Burkina Faso has 0.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
live with 24.8% less strain on fresh water
Burkina Faso withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
use 17.1 times more electricity
Burkina Faso uses 133 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 82.1% less likely to die from air pollution
In Burkina Faso, air pollution causes 84.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 6.0 times more CO2
Burkina Faso emits 0.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Burkina Faso vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Burkina Faso? See an in-depth size comparison.