Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Gabon instead of Costa Rica, you would:
Health
be 30.7% less likely to be obese
In Costa Rica, 32.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Gabon, that number is 22.7% of people as of 2024.
be 4.7 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 Gabon, that number is 2.8% of people as of 2024.
live 12.5 years less
In Costa Rica, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Gabon, that number is 69 years (66 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.
see 65.1% less spent on your healthcare
Costa Rica spends $1,928 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Gabon spends $673 as of 2023.
have 80.6% fewer doctors per person
Costa Rica has 26.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Gabon has 5.2 as of 2022.
have 39.5% less access to essential health services
Costa Rica scores 81 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Gabon scores 49 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.9 times more likely to be unemployed
In Costa Rica, 6.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Gabon, that number is 20.1% as of 2025.
make 58.6% less money
Costa Rica has a GDP per capita of $19,970 as of 2025, while in Gabon, the GDP per capita is $8,263 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.7 times more children
In Costa Rica, there are approximately 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Gabon, there are 27.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 9.7 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 Gabon, 233.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.8 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 Gabon, on the other hand, 25.9 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 21.2% less likely to have internet access
In Costa Rica, approximately 87.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Gabon, about 68.7% do as of 2024.
be 11.2% 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 Gabon, that number is 89% of people on average (92% in urban areas, and 49% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 56.3% less on education
Costa Rica spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Gabon spends 2.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 54.4% less on healthcare
Costa Rica spends 6.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Gabon, that number is 3.1% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 31.4% less coastline
Costa Rica has a total of 1,290 km of coastline. In Gabon, that number is 885 km.
Safety
be 19.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Costa Rica, road accidents kill 15.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Gabon, they kill 12.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 91.5% less strain on fresh water
Costa Rica withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Gabon withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 79.9% less home broadband
Costa Rica has 23.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Gabon has 4.7 as of 2024.
use 55.2% less electricity
Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Gabon uses 1,023 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 3.5 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 Gabon, it causes 53.0 as of 2019.
emit 25.8% more CO2
Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Gabon emits 2.0 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Costa Rica vs. Gabon
Gabon: At a glance
How big is Gabon compared to Costa Rica? See an in-depth size comparison.