Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Gambia instead of Costa Rica, you would:
Health
be 62.1% less likely to be obese
In Costa Rica, 32.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Gambia, that number is 12.4% of people as of 2024.
be 40.3% less likely to die by suicide
Costa Rica has a suicide rate of 8.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Gambia, it is 4.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.2 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 Gambia, that number is 1.3% of people as of 2024.
live 14.9 years less
In Costa Rica, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Gambia, that number is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024.
see 95.1% less spent on your healthcare
Costa Rica spends $1,928 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Gambia spends $94 as of 2023.
have 96.7% fewer doctors per person
Costa Rica has 26.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Gambia has 0.9 as of 2023.
have 43.2% less access to essential health services
Costa Rica scores 81 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Gambia scores 46 as of 2021.
Economy
make 95.4% less money
Costa Rica has a GDP per capita of $19,970 as of 2025, while in Gambia, the GDP per capita is $919 as of 2025.
Life
have 3.0 times more children
In Costa Rica, there are approximately 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Gambia, there are 29.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 14.8 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 Gambia, 354.0 women do as of 2023.
be 47.3% less likely to be literate
In Costa Rica, the literacy rate is 98.0% as of 2021. In Gambia, it is 51.6% as of 2021.
be 3.6 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 Gambia, on the other hand, 32.7 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 33.1% 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 Gambia, that number is 67% of people on average (85% in urban areas, and 35% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 43.2% less likely to have internet access
In Costa Rica, approximately 87.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Gambia, about 49.5% do as of 2024.
be 12.7% 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 Gambia, that number is 87% of people on average (92% in urban areas, and 78% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 47.1% less on education
Costa Rica spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Gambia spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 57.9% less on healthcare
Costa Rica spends 6.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Gambia, that number is 2.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 93.8% less coastline
Costa Rica has a total of 1,290 km of coastline. In Gambia, that number is 80 km.
Safety
be 41.9% more likely to die in a road accident
In Costa Rica, road accidents kill 15.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Gambia, they kill 22.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 62.4% less strain on fresh water
Costa Rica withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Gambia withdraws 2% as of 2022.
find 97.8% less home broadband
Costa Rica has 23.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Gambia has 0.5 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 89.0% less CO2
Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Gambia emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
be 6.0 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 Gambia, it causes 90.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Costa Rica vs. Gambia
Gambia: At a glance
How big is Gambia compared to Costa Rica? See an in-depth size comparison.