Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Belgium instead of Costa Rica, you would:
Health
live 1.3 years longer
In Costa Rica, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Belgium, that number is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
be 36.2% less likely to be obese
In Costa Rica, 32.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Belgium, that number is 20.9% of people as of 2024.
see 3.9 times more spent on your healthcare
Costa Rica spends $1,928 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Belgium spends $7,489 as of 2023.
have 33.0% more doctors per person
Costa Rica has 26.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Belgium has 35.7 as of 2022.
be 2.3 times more likely to die by suicide
Costa Rica has a suicide rate of 8.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Belgium, it is 18.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 13.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Costa Rica, 6.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Belgium, that number is 5.9% as of 2025.
be 28.1% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Costa Rica, 17.1% live below the poverty line as of 2025. In Belgium, however, that number is 12.3% as of 2022.
make 3.0 times more money
Costa Rica has a GDP per capita of $19,970 as of 2025, while in Belgium, the GDP per capita is $60,750 as of 2025.
Life
be 83.3% less 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 Belgium, 4.0 women do as of 2023.
be 65.9% less 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 Belgium, on the other hand, 3.1 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 18.3% more on education
Costa Rica spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Belgium spends 6.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 57.2% more on healthcare
Costa Rica spends 6.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Belgium, that number is 10.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 94.8% less coastline
Costa Rica has a total of 1,290 km of coastline. In Belgium, that number is 66 km.
Safety
be 93.9% less likely to be murdered
Costa Rica has a homicide rate of 17.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Belgium, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 70.3% less likely to die in a road accident
In Costa Rica, road accidents kill 15.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Belgium, they kill 4.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 89.9% more home broadband
Costa Rica has 23.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Belgium has 44.2 as of 2024.
use 3.1 times more electricity
Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Belgium uses 7,099 kWh as of 2024.
live with 9.0 times more strain on fresh water
Costa Rica withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Belgium withdraws 53% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 4.5 times more CO2
Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Belgium emits 7.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Costa Rica vs. Belgium
Belgium: At a glance
How big is Belgium compared to Costa Rica? See an in-depth size comparison.