Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Cameroon instead of Costa Rica, you would:
Health
be 50.9% less likely to be obese
In Costa Rica, 32.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Cameroon, that number is 16.0% of people as of 2024.
be 4.2 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 Cameroon, that number is 2.5% of people as of 2024.
live 17.0 years less
In Costa Rica, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Cameroon, that number is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024.
see 87.2% less spent on your healthcare
Costa Rica spends $1,928 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Cameroon spends $246 as of 2023.
have 94.9% fewer doctors per person
Costa Rica has 26.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Cameroon has 1.4 as of 2022.
have 45.7% less access to essential health services
Costa Rica scores 81 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Cameroon scores 44 as of 2021.
Economy
be 47.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Costa Rica, 6.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Cameroon, that number is 3.6% as of 2025.
make 90.1% less money
Costa Rica has a GDP per capita of $19,970 as of 2025, while in Cameroon, the GDP per capita is $1,972 as of 2025.
Life
have 3.3 times more children
In Costa Rica, there are approximately 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Cameroon, there are 33.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 10.8 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 Cameroon, 258.0 women do as of 2023.
be 26.0% less likely to be literate
In Costa Rica, the literacy rate is 98.0% as of 2021. In Cameroon, it is 72.5% as of 2018.
be 4.4 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 Cameroon, on the other hand, 40.2 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 28.0% 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 Cameroon, that number is 72% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 26% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 46.9% less likely to have internet access
In Costa Rica, approximately 87.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Cameroon, about 46.3% do as of 2024.
be 28.5% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Costa Rica, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Cameroon, that number is 71% of people on average (82% in urban areas, and 56% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 46.5% less on education
Costa Rica spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Cameroon spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 33.8% less on healthcare
Costa Rica spends 6.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Cameroon, that number is 4.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 68.8% less coastline
Costa Rica has a total of 1,290 km of coastline. In Cameroon, that number is 402 km.
Safety
be 61.9% less likely to be murdered
Costa Rica has a homicide rate of 17.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Cameroon, that number is 6.8 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 31.6% less likely to die in a road accident
In Costa Rica, road accidents kill 15.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Cameroon, they kill 10.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 73.5% less strain on fresh water
Costa Rica withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Cameroon withdraws 2% as of 2022.
find 90.9% less home broadband
Costa Rica has 23.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Cameroon has 2.1 as of 2022.
use 90.1% less electricity
Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Cameroon uses 226 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 78.5% less CO2
Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Cameroon emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 6.7 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 Cameroon, it causes 101.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2018–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Costa Rica vs. Cameroon
Cameroon: At a glance
How big is Cameroon compared to Costa Rica? See an in-depth size comparison.