Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Libya instead of Costa Rica, you would:
Health
be 38.0% less likely to die by suicide
Costa Rica has a suicide rate of 8.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Libya, it is 5.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 9.9 years less
In Costa Rica, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Libya, that number is 71 years (70 years for men, 73 years for women) as of 2024.
see 45.3% less spent on your healthcare
Costa Rica spends $1,928 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Libya spends $1,055 as of 2023.
have 23.5% less access to essential health services
Costa Rica scores 81 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Libya scores 62 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.7 times more likely to be unemployed
In Costa Rica, 6.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Libya, that number is 18.8% as of 2025.
make 67.7% less money
Costa Rica has a GDP per capita of $19,970 as of 2025, while in Libya, the GDP per capita is $6,449 as of 2025.
Life
be 13.2% less 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 Libya, on the other hand, 7.9 children do as of 2024.
have 65.2% more children
In Costa Rica, there are approximately 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Libya, there are 16.5 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 Libya, 59.0 women do as of 2023.
Basic Needs
be 26.8% 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 Libya, that number is 73% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 96% in rural areas) as of 2023.
Expenditures
spend 13.7% more on healthcare
Costa Rica spends 6.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Libya, that number is 7.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 37.2% more coastline
Costa Rica has a total of 1,290 km of coastline. In Libya, that number is 1,770 km.
Safety
be 2.2 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Costa Rica, road accidents kill 15.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Libya, they kill 34.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
use 66.3% more electricity
Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Libya uses 3,796 kWh as of 2023.
find 80.6% less home broadband
Costa Rica has 23.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Libya has 4.5 as of 2022.
live with 139.0 times more strain on fresh water
Costa Rica withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Libya withdraws 817% as of 2022.
Environment
be 3.6 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 Libya, it causes 54.0 as of 2019.
emit 5.3 times more CO2
Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Libya emits 8.7 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Costa Rica vs. Libya
Libya: At a glance
How big is Libya compared to Costa Rica? See an in-depth size comparison.