Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Democratic Republic of the Congo instead of Costa Rica, you would:
Health
be 79.5% less likely to be obese
In Costa Rica, 32.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 6.7% of people as of 2024.
live 18.9 years less
In Costa Rica, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 years for women) as of 2024.
see 97.0% less spent on your healthcare
Costa Rica spends $1,928 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Democratic Republic of the Congo spends $58 as of 2023.
have 92.3% fewer doctors per person
Costa Rica has 26.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Democratic Republic of the Congo has 2.1 as of 2022.
have 48.1% less access to essential health services
Costa Rica scores 81 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Democratic Republic of the Congo scores 42 as of 2021.
Economy
be 35.2% less likely to be unemployed
In Costa Rica, 6.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 4.4% as of 2025.
make 96.0% less money
Costa Rica has a GDP per capita of $19,970 as of 2025, while in Democratic Republic of the Congo, the GDP per capita is $807 as of 2025.
Life
have 4.1 times more children
In Costa Rica, there are approximately 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, there are 40.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 17.8 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 Democratic Republic of the Congo, 427.0 women do as of 2023.
be 30.1% less likely to be literate
In Costa Rica, the literacy rate is 98.0% as of 2021. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, it is 68.5% as of 2023.
be 6.2 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 Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the other hand, 56.4 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 77.9% 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 Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 22% of people on average (56% in urban areas, and 1% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 77.4% less likely to have internet access
In Costa Rica, approximately 87.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, about 19.7% do as of 2024.
be 64.3% 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 Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 36% of people on average (59% in urban areas, and 14% 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. Democratic Republic of the Congo spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 46.4% less on healthcare
Costa Rica spends 6.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 3.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 97.1% less coastline
Costa Rica has a total of 1,290 km of coastline. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 37 km.
Infrastructure
live with 96.1% less strain on fresh water
Costa Rica withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Democratic Republic of the Congo 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. Democratic Republic of the Congo has 0.0 as of 2024.
use 94.4% less electricity
Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Democratic Republic of the Congo uses 129 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 96.3% less CO2
Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Democratic Republic of the Congo emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
be 4.8 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 Democratic Republic of the Congo, it causes 72.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Costa Rica vs. Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo: At a glance
How big is Democratic Republic of the Congo compared to Costa Rica? See an in-depth size comparison.