Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Central African Republic instead of Costa Rica, you would:
Health
be 66.6% less likely to be obese
In Costa Rica, 32.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Central African Republic, that number is 10.9% of people as of 2024.
be 4.0 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 Central African Republic, that number is 2.4% of people as of 2024.
live 23.3 years less
In Costa Rica, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Central African Republic, that number is 58 years (56 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2024.
see 92.9% less spent on your healthcare
Costa Rica spends $1,928 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Central African Republic spends $137 as of 2023.
have 97.2% fewer doctors per person
Costa Rica has 26.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Central African Republic has 0.7 as of 2023.
have 60.5% less access to essential health services
Costa Rica scores 81 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Central African Republic scores 32 as of 2021.
be 14.0% more likely to die by suicide
Costa Rica has a suicide rate of 8.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Central African Republic, it is 9.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 97.2% less money
Costa Rica has a GDP per capita of $19,970 as of 2025, while in Central African Republic, the GDP per capita is $556 as of 2025.
Life
have 4.6 times more children
In Costa Rica, there are approximately 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Central African Republic, there are 46.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 28.8 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 Central African Republic, 692.0 women do as of 2023.
be 61.7% less likely to be literate
In Costa Rica, the literacy rate is 98.0% as of 2021. In Central African Republic, it is 37.5% as of 2020.
be 6.5 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 Central African Republic, on the other hand, 58.8 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 82.4% 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 Central African Republic, that number is 18% of people on average (37% in urban areas, and 2% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 84.2% less likely to have internet access
In Costa Rica, approximately 87.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Central African Republic, about 13.8% do as of 2024.
be 63.4% 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 Central African Republic, that number is 36% of people on average (48% in urban areas, and 27% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 65.5% less on education
Costa Rica spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Central African Republic spends 1.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 55.2% more on healthcare
Costa Rica spends 6.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Central African Republic, that number is 10.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 67.1% more likely to die in a road accident
In Costa Rica, road accidents kill 15.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Central African Republic, they kill 25.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 94.2% less strain on fresh water
Costa Rica withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Central African Republic withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 99.9% less home broadband
Costa Rica has 23.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Central African Republic has 0.0 as of 2022.
Environment
emit 96.3% less CO2
Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Central African Republic emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
be 6.5 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 Central African Republic, it causes 98.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2020–2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Costa Rica vs. Central African Republic
Central African Republic: At a glance
How big is Central African Republic compared to Costa Rica? See an in-depth size comparison.