Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Belize instead of Costa Rica, you would:
Health
be 48.1% less likely to die by suicide
Costa Rica has a suicide rate of 8.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Belize, it is 4.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 100.0% more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Costa Rica, 0.6% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Belize, that number is 1.2% of people as of 2024.
live 7.3 years less
In Costa Rica, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Belize, that number is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024.
be 32.8% more likely to be obese
In Costa Rica, 32.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Belize, that number is 43.4% of people as of 2024.
see 70.3% less spent on your healthcare
Costa Rica spends $1,928 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Belize spends $573 as of 2023.
have 16.0% less access to essential health services
Costa Rica scores 81 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Belize scores 68 as of 2021.
Economy
be 29.5% more likely to be unemployed
In Costa Rica, 6.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Belize, that number is 8.9% as of 2025.
make 60.6% less money
Costa Rica has a GDP per capita of $19,970 as of 2025, while in Belize, the GDP per capita is $7,865 as of 2025.
Life
have 80.7% more children
In Costa Rica, there are approximately 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Belize, there are 18.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.8 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 Belize, 67.0 women do as of 2023.
be 10.3% less likely to be literate
In Costa Rica, the literacy rate is 98.0% as of 2021. In Belize, it is 87.9% as of 2022.
be 18.7% 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 Belize, on the other hand, 10.8 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 13.0% less on education
Costa Rica spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Belize spends 4.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 39.6% less on healthcare
Costa Rica spends 6.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Belize, that number is 4.2% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 70.1% less coastline
Costa Rica has a total of 1,290 km of coastline. In Belize, that number is 386 km.
Safety
be 58.1% more likely to be murdered
Costa Rica has a homicide rate of 17.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Belize, that number is 28.1 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 12.9% more likely to die in a road accident
In Costa Rica, road accidents kill 15.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Belize, they kill 17.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 78.6% less strain on fresh water
Costa Rica withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Belize withdraws 1% as of 2022.
find 58.1% less home broadband
Costa Rica has 23.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Belize has 9.8 as of 2022.
Environment
emit 42.9% less CO2
Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Belize emits 0.9 tonnes as of 2024.
be 40.0% more likely to die from air pollution
In Costa Rica, air pollution causes 15.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Belize, it causes 21.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Costa Rica vs. Belize
Belize: At a glance
How big is Belize compared to Costa Rica? See an in-depth size comparison.