Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Cambodia, you would:
Health
live 10.2 years longer
In Cambodia, the average life expectancy is 71 years (68 years for men, 73 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 5.5 times more spent on your healthcare
Cambodia spends $350 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 12.7 times more doctors per person
Cambodia has 2.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2019. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
have 39.7% more access to essential health services
Cambodia scores 58 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Costa Rica scores 81 as of 2021.
be 6.6 times more likely to be obese
In Cambodia, 4.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
be 79.1% more likely to die by suicide
Cambodia has a suicide rate of 4.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 7.0 times more money
Cambodia has a GDP per capita of $2,872 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
be 26.3 times more likely to be unemployed
In Cambodia, 0.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
Life
be 82.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In Cambodia, approximately 137.0 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 36.2% more likely to be literate
In Cambodia, the literacy rate is 71.9% as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 98.0% as of 2021.
be 44.5% less likely to die during infancy
In Cambodia, approximately 16.4 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 50.8% fewer children
In Cambodia, there are approximately 20.3 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 27.3% more likely to have internet access
In Cambodia, approximately 68.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Costa Rica, about 87.2% do as of 2024.
be 20.5% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Cambodia, approximately 83% of people have access to drinking water (94% in urban areas, and 79% 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 2.4 times more on education
Cambodia spends 2.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Costa Rica spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 48.7% more on healthcare
Cambodia spends 4.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 2.9 times more coastline
Cambodia has a total of 443 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Safety
be 17.6% less likely to die in a road accident
In Cambodia, road accidents kill 18.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 5.6 times more home broadband
Cambodia has 4.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
use 2.4 times more electricity
Cambodia uses 932 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
live with 5.7 times more strain on fresh water
Cambodia withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
Environment
be 75.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Cambodia, air pollution causes 60.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 48.2% more CO2
Cambodia emits 1.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Cambodia vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Cambodia? See an in-depth size comparison.