Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Botswana instead of Costa Rica, you would:
Health
be 39.5% less likely to be obese
In Costa Rica, 32.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Botswana, that number is 19.8% of people as of 2024.
be 26.2 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Costa Rica, 0.6% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Botswana, that number is 15.7% of people as of 2024.
live 11.7 years less
In Costa Rica, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Botswana, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024.
see 32.1% less spent on your healthcare
Costa Rica spends $1,928 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Botswana spends $1,310 as of 2023.
have 85.9% fewer doctors per person
Costa Rica has 26.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Botswana has 3.8 as of 2023.
have 32.1% less access to essential health services
Costa Rica scores 81 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Botswana scores 55 as of 2021.
Economy
be 3.6 times more likely to be unemployed
In Costa Rica, 6.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Botswana, that number is 24.5% as of 2025.
make 61.1% less money
Costa Rica has a GDP per capita of $19,970 as of 2025, while in Botswana, the GDP per capita is $7,778 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.4 times more children
In Costa Rica, there are approximately 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Botswana, there are 24.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 6.5 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 Botswana, 155.0 women do as of 2023.
be 3.5 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 Botswana, on the other hand, 32.1 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 24.0% less likely to have access to electricity
In Costa Rica, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Botswana, that number is 76% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 25% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 34.1% less likely to have internet access
In Costa Rica, approximately 87.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Botswana, about 57.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 51.8% more on education
Costa Rica spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Botswana spends 8.1% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
Safety
be 35.9% less likely to be murdered
Costa Rica has a homicide rate of 17.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Botswana, that number is 11.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 62.1% less strain on fresh water
Costa Rica withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Botswana withdraws 2% as of 2022.
find 68.1% less home broadband
Costa Rica has 23.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Botswana has 7.4 as of 2024.
use 28.1% less electricity
Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Botswana uses 1,641 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 3.7 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 Botswana, it causes 55.0 as of 2019.
emit 68.1% more CO2
Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Botswana emits 2.7 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Costa Rica vs. Botswana
Botswana: At a glance
How big is Botswana compared to Costa Rica? See an in-depth size comparison.