Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Central African Republic, you would:
Health
be 75.0% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Central African Republic, 2.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 0.6% of people as of 2024.
live 23.3 years longer
In Central African Republic, the average life expectancy is 58 years (56 years for men, 60 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 14.1 times more spent on your healthcare
Central African Republic spends $137 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 36.3 times more doctors per person
Central African Republic has 0.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
have 2.5 times more access to essential health services
Central African Republic scores 32 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Costa Rica scores 81 as of 2021.
be 12.3% less likely to die by suicide
Central African Republic has a suicide rate of 9.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 3.0 times more likely to be obese
In Central African Republic, 10.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 35.9 times more money
Central African Republic has a GDP per capita of $556 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
Life
be 96.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In Central African Republic, approximately 692.0 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 2.6 times more likely to be literate
In Central African Republic, the literacy rate is 37.5% as of 2020. In Costa Rica, it is 98.0% as of 2021.
be 84.5% less likely to die during infancy
In Central African Republic, approximately 58.8 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 78.4% fewer children
In Central African Republic, there are approximately 46.2 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 5.7 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Central African Republic, approximately 18% of people have electricity access (37% 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 6.3 times more likely to have internet access
In Central African Republic, approximately 13.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Costa Rica, about 87.2% do as of 2024.
be 2.7 times more likely to have access to drinking water
In Central African Republic, approximately 36% of people have access to drinking water (48% in urban areas, and 27% 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 35.6% less on healthcare
Central African Republic spends 10.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 2.9 times more on education
Central African Republic spends 1.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Costa Rica spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 40.2% less likely to die in a road accident
In Central African Republic, road accidents kill 25.9 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
Central African Republic has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
live with 17.3 times more strain on fresh water
Central African Republic withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
Environment
be 84.7% less likely to die from air pollution
In Central African Republic, air pollution causes 98.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 27.2 times more CO2
Central African Republic 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 (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2020–2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Central African Republic vs. Costa Rica
MORE COMPARISONS
Costa Rica: At a glance
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