Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Macedonia instead of Costa Rica, you would:
Health
be 18.0% less likely to be obese
In Costa Rica, 32.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Macedonia, that number is 26.8% of people as of 2024.
be 28.3% less likely to die by suicide
Costa Rica has a suicide rate of 8.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Macedonia, it is 5.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 4.4 years less
In Costa Rica, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Macedonia, that number is 77 years (74 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024.
Economy
be 79.2% more likely to be unemployed
In Costa Rica, 6.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Macedonia, that number is 12.3% as of 2025.
be 28.1% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Costa Rica, 17.1% live below the poverty line as of 2025. In Macedonia, however, that number is 21.9% as of 2023.
make 47.5% less money
Costa Rica has a GDP per capita of $19,970 as of 2025, while in Macedonia, the GDP per capita is $10,490 as of 2025.
Life
be 87.5% less 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 Macedonia, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 72.5% 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 Macedonia, on the other hand, 2.5 children do as of 2024.
have 11.9% fewer children
In Costa Rica, there are approximately 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Macedonia, there are 8.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Safety
be 91.4% less likely to be murdered
Costa Rica has a homicide rate of 17.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Macedonia, that number is 1.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 63.2% less likely to die in a road accident
In Costa Rica, road accidents kill 15.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Macedonia, they kill 5.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 28.3% more home broadband
Costa Rica has 23.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Macedonia has 29.9 as of 2024.
use 45.5% more electricity
Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Macedonia uses 3,320 kWh as of 2023.
live with 8.9 times more strain on fresh water
Costa Rica withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Macedonia withdraws 53% as of 2022.
Environment
be 4.1 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 Macedonia, it causes 62.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.5 times more CO2
Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Macedonia emits 4.0 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Costa Rica vs. Macedonia
Macedonia: At a glance
How big is Macedonia compared to Costa Rica? See an in-depth size comparison.