Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Cameroon, you would:
Health
be 76.0% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Cameroon, 2.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 0.6% of people as of 2024.
live 17.0 years longer
In Cameroon, 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 7.8 times more spent on your healthcare
Cameroon spends $246 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 19.8 times more doctors per person
Cameroon has 1.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
have 84.1% more access to essential health services
Cameroon scores 44 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Costa Rica scores 81 as of 2021.
be 2.0 times more likely to be obese
In Cameroon, 16.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 10.1 times more money
Cameroon has a GDP per capita of $1,972 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
be 90.0% more likely to be unemployed
In Cameroon, 3.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
Life
be 90.7% less likely to die during childbirth
In Cameroon, approximately 258.0 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 35.1% more likely to be literate
In Cameroon, the literacy rate is 72.5% as of 2018. In Costa Rica, it is 98.0% as of 2021.
be 77.4% less likely to die during infancy
In Cameroon, approximately 40.2 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 70.0% fewer children
In Cameroon, there are approximately 33.3 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 38.9% more likely to have access to electricity
In Cameroon, approximately 72% of people have electricity access (96% in urban areas, and 26% 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 88.4% more likely to have internet access
In Cameroon, approximately 46.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Costa Rica, about 87.2% do as of 2024.
be 39.8% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Cameroon, approximately 71% of people have access to drinking water (82% in urban areas, and 56% 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 87.0% more on education
Cameroon spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Costa Rica spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 51.0% more on healthcare
Cameroon spends 4.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 3.2 times more coastline
Cameroon has a total of 402 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Safety
be 2.6 times more likely to be murdered
Cameroon has a homicide rate of 6.8 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Costa Rica, that number is 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 46.2% more likely to die in a road accident
In Cameroon, road accidents kill 10.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 10.9 times more home broadband
Cameroon has 2.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
use 10.1 times more electricity
Cameroon uses 226 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
live with 3.8 times more strain on fresh water
Cameroon withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
Environment
be 85.1% less likely to die from air pollution
In Cameroon, air pollution causes 101.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 4.7 times more CO2
Cameroon 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 (2018–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Cameroon vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Cameroon? See an in-depth size comparison.