Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Guyana instead of Costa Rica, you would:
Health
be 2.7 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 Guyana, that number is 1.6% of people as of 2024.
live 10.7 years less
In Costa Rica, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Guyana, that number is 70 years (67 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.
see 30.9% less spent on your healthcare
Costa Rica spends $1,928 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Guyana spends $1,331 as of 2023.
have 48.4% fewer doctors per person
Costa Rica has 26.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Guyana has 13.9 as of 2020.
be 3.1 times more likely to die by suicide
Costa Rica has a suicide rate of 8.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Guyana, it is 24.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 62.3% more money
Costa Rica has a GDP per capita of $19,970 as of 2025, while in Guyana, the GDP per capita is $32,414 as of 2025.
be 74.9% more likely to be unemployed
In Costa Rica, 6.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Guyana, that number is 12.0% as of 2025.
Life
have 99.0% more children
In Costa Rica, there are approximately 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Guyana, there are 19.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 3.1 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 Guyana, 75.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.5 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 Guyana, on the other hand, 23.2 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 64.0% less on healthcare
Costa Rica spends 6.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Guyana, that number is 2.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 64.4% less coastline
Costa Rica has a total of 1,290 km of coastline. In Guyana, that number is 459 km.
Infrastructure
live with 43.9% less strain on fresh water
Costa Rica withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Guyana withdraws 3% as of 2022.
find 44.4% less home broadband
Costa Rica has 23.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Guyana has 12.9 as of 2022.
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 Guyana, it causes 52.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.8 times more CO2
Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Guyana emits 4.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2019). How we calculate this
Compare further: Costa Rica vs. Guyana
Guyana: At a glance
How big is Guyana compared to Costa Rica? See an in-depth size comparison.