Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Algeria instead of Costa Rica, you would:
Health
be 27.9% less likely to be obese
In Costa Rica, 32.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Algeria, that number is 23.6% of people as of 2024.
be 73.0% less likely to die by suicide
Costa Rica has a suicide rate of 8.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Algeria, it is 2.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 4.5 years less
In Costa Rica, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Algeria, that number is 76 years (75 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2024.
see 62.0% less spent on your healthcare
Costa Rica spends $1,928 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Algeria spends $732 as of 2023.
have 38.2% fewer doctors per person
Costa Rica has 26.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Algeria has 16.6 as of 2022.
Economy
be 70.0% more likely to be unemployed
In Costa Rica, 6.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Algeria, that number is 11.6% as of 2025.
make 69.7% less money
Costa Rica has a GDP per capita of $19,970 as of 2025, while in Algeria, the GDP per capita is $6,051 as of 2025.
Life
have 88.6% more children
In Costa Rica, there are approximately 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Algeria, there are 18.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.6 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Costa Rica, approximately 24.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Algeria, 62.0 women do as of 2023.
be 16.9% less likely to be literate
In Costa Rica, the literacy rate is 98.0% as of 2021. In Algeria, it is 81.4% as of 2018.
be 2.1 times more likely to die during infancy
In Costa Rica, approximately 9.1 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Algeria, on the other hand, 19.5 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 11.2% less likely to have internet access
In Costa Rica, approximately 87.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Algeria, about 77.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 36.7% less on healthcare
Costa Rica spends 6.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Algeria, that number is 4.3% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 69.1% more on education
Costa Rica spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Algeria spends 9.0% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 22.6% less coastline
Costa Rica has a total of 1,290 km of coastline. In Algeria, that number is 998 km.
Safety
be 93.5% less likely to be murdered
Costa Rica has a homicide rate of 17.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Algeria, that number is 1.2 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 18.1% more likely to die in a road accident
In Costa Rica, road accidents kill 15.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Algeria, they kill 18.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 42.8% less home broadband
Costa Rica has 23.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Algeria has 13.3 as of 2024.
live with 24.6 times more strain on fresh water
Costa Rica withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Algeria withdraws 145% as of 2022.
use 19.9% less electricity
Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Algeria uses 1,828 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 3.2 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Costa Rica, air pollution causes 15.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Algeria, it causes 48.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.4 times more CO2
Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Algeria emits 4.0 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), The World Factbook (2018–2021), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Costa Rica vs. Algeria
Algeria: At a glance
How big is Algeria compared to Costa Rica? See an in-depth size comparison.