Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Chad, you would:
Health
live 25.8 years longer
In Chad, the average life expectancy is 55 years (53 years for men, 57 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 14.8 times more spent on your healthcare
Chad spends $130 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 31.6 times more doctors per person
Chad has 0.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
have 2.8 times more access to essential health services
Chad scores 29 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Costa Rica scores 81 as of 2021.
be 4.4 times more likely to be obese
In Chad, 7.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
be 54.7% more likely to die by suicide
Chad has a suicide rate of 5.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 61.8% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Chad, 44.8% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Costa Rica, however, that number is 17.1% as of 2025.
make 19.5 times more money
Chad has a GDP per capita of $1,022 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
be 6.5 times more likely to be unemployed
In Chad, 1.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
Life
be 96.8% less likely to die during childbirth
In Chad, approximately 748.0 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 3.7 times more likely to be literate
In Chad, the literacy rate is 26.8% as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 98.0% as of 2021.
be 83.8% less likely to die during infancy
In Chad, approximately 56.3 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 76.9% fewer children
In Chad, there are approximately 43.3 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 8.3 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Chad, approximately 12% of people have electricity access (48% in urban areas, and 0% 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 6.9 times more likely to have internet access
In Chad, approximately 12.6% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Costa Rica, about 87.2% do as of 2024.
be 91.2% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Chad, approximately 52% of people have access to drinking water (78% in urban areas, and 44% 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 65.9% more on education
Chad spends 3.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Costa Rica spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 37.4% more on healthcare
Chad spends 5.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 41.3% less likely to die in a road accident
In Chad, road accidents kill 26.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
use 166.3 times more electricity
Chad uses 14 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
live with 37.1% more strain on fresh water
Chad withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
Environment
be 84.2% less likely to die from air pollution
In Chad, air pollution causes 95.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 11.6 times more CO2
Chad 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 (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Chad vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Chad? See an in-depth size comparison.