Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of China, you would:
Health
live 3.0 years longer
In China, the average life expectancy is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 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 29.7% more spent on your healthcare
China spends $1,487 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
be 3.5 times more likely to be obese
In China, 9.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
have 13.7% fewer doctors per person
China has 31.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
Economy
make 44.1% more money
China has a GDP per capita of $13,862 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
be 48.1% more likely to be unemployed
In China, 4.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
Life
have 47.6% more children
In China, there are approximately 6.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Costa Rica, there are 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 50.0% more likely to die during childbirth
In China, approximately 16.0 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 2.2 times more likely to die during infancy
In China, approximately 4.1 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.
Expenditures
spend 36.2% more on education
China spends 3.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Costa Rica spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 15.7% more on healthcare
China spends 5.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 91.1% less coastline
China has a total of 14,500 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Safety
be 10.9% less likely to die in a road accident
In China, road accidents kill 17.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 35.5 times more likely to be murdered
China has a homicide rate of 0.5 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Costa Rica, that number is 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
live with 85.8% less strain on fresh water
China withdraws 42% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
find 50.6% less home broadband
China has 47.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
use 65.0% less electricity
China uses 6,524 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 76.6% less likely to die from air pollution
In China, air pollution causes 64.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 82.5% less CO2
China emits 9.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: China vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to China? See an in-depth size comparison.