Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Bhutan instead of Costa Rica, you would:
Health
be 60.0% less likely to be obese
In Costa Rica, 32.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Bhutan, that number is 13.1% of people as of 2024.
be 39.2% less likely to die by suicide
Costa Rica has a suicide rate of 8.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Bhutan, it is 4.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 7.7 years less
In Costa Rica, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Bhutan, that number is 73 years (72 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2024.
see 64.9% less spent on your healthcare
Costa Rica spends $1,928 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Bhutan spends $677 as of 2023.
have 79.4% fewer doctors per person
Costa Rica has 26.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Bhutan has 5.5 as of 2022.
have 25.9% less access to essential health services
Costa Rica scores 81 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Bhutan scores 60 as of 2021.
Economy
be 52.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Costa Rica, 6.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Bhutan, that number is 3.2% as of 2025.
be 27.5% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Costa Rica, 17.1% live below the poverty line as of 2025. In Bhutan, however, that number is 12.4% as of 2022.
make 77.5% less money
Costa Rica has a GDP per capita of $19,970 as of 2025, while in Bhutan, the GDP per capita is $4,493 as of 2025.
Life
have 25.4% more children
In Costa Rica, there are approximately 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Bhutan, there are 12.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 95.8% 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 Bhutan, 47.0 women do as of 2023.
be 33.8% less likely to be literate
In Costa Rica, the literacy rate is 98.0% as of 2021. In Bhutan, it is 64.9% as of 2022.
be 50.5% 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 Bhutan, on the other hand, 13.7 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 35.7% less on healthcare
Costa Rica spends 6.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Bhutan, that number is 4.4% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 10.2% more on education
Costa Rica spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Bhutan spends 5.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 86.1% less likely to be murdered
Costa Rica has a homicide rate of 17.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Bhutan, that number is 2.5 per 100,000 as of 2020.
be 21.3% less likely to die in a road accident
In Costa Rica, road accidents kill 15.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Bhutan, they kill 12.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 76.0% less strain on fresh water
Costa Rica withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Bhutan withdraws 1% as of 2022.
find 87.5% less home broadband
Costa Rica has 23.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Bhutan has 2.9 as of 2024.
Environment
be 3.8 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 Bhutan, it causes 57.0 as of 2019.
emit 23.3% more CO2
Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Bhutan emits 2.0 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Costa Rica vs. Bhutan
Bhutan: At a glance
How big is Bhutan compared to Costa Rica? See an in-depth size comparison.