Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Brunei instead of Costa Rica, you would:
Health
be 62.2% less likely to die by suicide
Costa Rica has a suicide rate of 8.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Brunei, it is 3.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 5.5 years less
In Costa Rica, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Brunei, that number is 76 years (73 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2024.
be 13.3% more likely to be obese
In Costa Rica, 32.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Brunei, that number is 37.0% of people as of 2024.
have 29.8% fewer doctors per person
Costa Rica has 26.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Brunei has 18.9 as of 2021.
Economy
be 22.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Costa Rica, 6.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Brunei, that number is 5.3% as of 2025.
make 61.4% more money
Costa Rica has a GDP per capita of $19,970 as of 2025, while in Brunei, the GDP per capita is $32,235 as of 2025.
Life
have 33.4% more children
In Costa Rica, there are approximately 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Brunei, there are 13.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 50.0% 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 Brunei, 36.0 women do as of 2023.
Basic Needs
be 10.5% more likely to have internet access
In Costa Rica, approximately 87.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Brunei, about 96.3% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 67.5% less on healthcare
Costa Rica spends 6.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Brunei, that number is 2.2% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 87.5% less coastline
Costa Rica has a total of 1,290 km of coastline. In Brunei, that number is 161 km.
Safety
be 76.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Costa Rica, road accidents kill 15.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Brunei, they kill 3.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 41.0% less strain on fresh water
Costa Rica withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Brunei withdraws 3% as of 2022.
use 4.7 times more electricity
Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Brunei uses 10,674 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 33.3% more likely to die from air pollution
In Costa Rica, air pollution causes 15.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Brunei, it causes 20.0 as of 2019.
emit 12.4 times more CO2
Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Brunei emits 20.2 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Costa Rica vs. Brunei
Brunei: At a glance
How big is Brunei compared to Costa Rica? See an in-depth size comparison.