Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Burundi, you would:
Health
live 17.2 years longer
In Burundi, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 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 19.3 times more spent on your healthcare
Burundi spends $100 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 34.4 times more doctors per person
Burundi has 0.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
have 97.6% more access to essential health services
Burundi scores 41 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Costa Rica scores 81 as of 2021.
be 6.3 times more likely to be obese
In Burundi, 5.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 85.4 times more money
Burundi has a GDP per capita of $234 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
be 7.4 times more likely to be unemployed
In Burundi, 0.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
Life
be 93.9% less likely to die during childbirth
In Burundi, approximately 392.0 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 31.2% more likely to be literate
In Burundi, the literacy rate is 74.7% as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 98.0% as of 2021.
be 70.2% less likely to die during infancy
In Burundi, approximately 30.5 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 69.9% fewer children
In Burundi, there are approximately 33.2 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 8.6 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Burundi, approximately 12% of people have electricity access (65% 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 10.1 times more likely to have internet access
In Burundi, approximately 8.6% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Costa Rica, about 87.2% do as of 2024.
be 51.4% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Burundi, approximately 66% of people have access to drinking water (91% in urban areas, and 61% 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 24.4% less on healthcare
Burundi spends 9.1% 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
Burundi spends 4.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2025. Costa Rica spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 26.0% more likely to die in a road accident
In Burundi, road accidents kill 12.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 1164.5 times more home broadband
Burundi has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
live with 42.3% less strain on fresh water
Burundi withdraws 10% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
Environment
be 78.9% less likely to die from air pollution
In Burundi, air pollution causes 71.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 23.3 times more CO2
Burundi emits 0.1 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: Burundi vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Burundi? See an in-depth size comparison.