Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Colombia instead of Costa Rica, you would:
Health
be 23.9% less likely to be obese
In Costa Rica, 32.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Colombia, that number is 24.9% of people as of 2024.
be 38.5% less likely to die by suicide
Costa Rica has a suicide rate of 8.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Colombia, it is 5.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 3.1 years less
In Costa Rica, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Colombia, that number is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
Economy
be 21.2% more likely to be unemployed
In Costa Rica, 6.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Colombia, that number is 8.3% as of 2025.
be 86.0% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Costa Rica, 17.1% live below the poverty line as of 2025. In Colombia, however, that number is 31.8% as of 2024.
make 57.1% less money
Costa Rica has a GDP per capita of $19,970 as of 2025, while in Colombia, the GDP per capita is $8,562 as of 2025.
Life
have 32.6% more children
In Costa Rica, there are approximately 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Colombia, there are 13.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.5 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 Colombia, 59.0 women do as of 2023.
be 15.4% 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 Colombia, on the other hand, 10.5 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 18.5% more on healthcare
Costa Rica spends 6.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Colombia, that number is 8.1% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 2.5 times more coastline
Costa Rica has a total of 1,290 km of coastline. In Colombia, that number is 3,208 km.
Safety
be 40.3% more likely to be murdered
Costa Rica has a homicide rate of 17.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Colombia, that number is 24.9 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
live with 38.3% less strain on fresh water
Costa Rica withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Colombia withdraws 4% as of 2022.
find 26.1% less home broadband
Costa Rica has 23.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Colombia has 17.2 as of 2024.
use 32.0% less electricity
Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Colombia uses 1,551 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 60.0% more likely to die from air pollution
In Costa Rica, air pollution causes 15.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Colombia, it causes 24.0 as of 2019.
emit 10.4% more CO2
Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Colombia emits 1.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2019). How we calculate this
Compare further: Costa Rica vs. Colombia
Colombia: At a glance
How big is Colombia compared to Costa Rica? See an in-depth size comparison.