Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Maldives instead of Costa Rica, you would:

Health

be 45.4% less likely to be obese

In Costa Rica, 32.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Maldives, that number is 17.9% of people as of 2024.

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see 18.7% more spent on your healthcare

Costa Rica spends $1,928 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Maldives spends $2,288 as of 2023.

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be 81.8% less likely to die by suicide

Costa Rica has a suicide rate of 8.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Maldives, it is 1.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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have 16.8% fewer doctors per person

Costa Rica has 26.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Maldives has 22.4 as of 2019.

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have 24.7% less access to essential health services

Costa Rica scores 81 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Maldives scores 61 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 34.1% less likely to be unemployed

In Costa Rica, 6.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Maldives, that number is 4.5% as of 2025.

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make 26.8% less money

Costa Rica has a GDP per capita of $19,970 as of 2025, while in Maldives, the GDP per capita is $14,615 as of 2025.

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Life

be 48.4% 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 Maldives, on the other hand, 4.7 children do as of 2024.

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be 33.3% 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 Maldives, 32.0 women do as of 2023.

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Expenditures

spend 34.6% more on healthcare

Costa Rica spends 6.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Maldives, that number is 9.2% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 50.1% less coastline

Costa Rica has a total of 1,290 km of coastline. In Maldives, that number is 644 km.

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Safety

be 91.6% less likely to die in a road accident

In Costa Rica, road accidents kill 15.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Maldives, they kill 1.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 15.6% less home broadband

Costa Rica has 23.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Maldives has 19.6 as of 2024.

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live with 2.7 times more strain on fresh water

Costa Rica withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Maldives withdraws 16% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 93.3% more likely to die from air pollution

In Costa Rica, air pollution causes 15.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Maldives, it causes 29.0 as of 2019.

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emit 2.2 times more CO2

Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Maldives emits 3.6 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Compare further: Costa Rica vs. Maldives

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Maldives is 13.8% cheaper than Costa Rica overall
→
Size Comparison · See true size
Costa Rica is about 171 times bigger than Maldives.
→
Moving from Costa Rica to Maldives · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
→

Maldives: At a glance

Maldives is a sovereign country in South Asia, with a total land area of approximately 298 sq km. A sultanate since the 12th century, the Maldives became a British protectorate in 1887. It became a republic in 1968, three years after independence. President Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM dominated the islands' political scene for 30 years, elected to six successive terms by single-party referendums. Following political demonstrations in the capital Male in August 2003, the president and his government pledged to embark upon a process of liberalization and democratic reforms, including a more representative political system and expanded political freedoms. Progress was sluggish, however, and many promised reforms were slow to be realized. Nonetheless, political parties were legalized in 2005. In June 2008, a constituent assembly - termed the "Special Majlis" - finalized a new constitution, which was ratified by the president in August. The first-ever presidential elections under a multi-candidate, multi-party system were held in October 2008. GAYOOM was defeated in a runoff poll by Mohamed NASHEED, a political activist who had been jailed several years earlier by the former regime. President NASHEED faced a number of challenges including strengthening democracy and combating poverty and drug abuse. In early February 2012, after several weeks of street protests following his sacking of a top judge, NASHEED resigned the presidency and handed over power to Vice President Mohammed WAHEED Hassan Maniku. In mid-2012, a Commission of National Inquiry was set by the government to probe events leading up to NASHEED's resignation. Though the commission found no evidence of a coup, the report recommended the need to strengthen the country's democratic institutions to avert similar events in the future, and to further investigate alleged police misconduct during the crisis. Maldivian officials have played a prominent role in international climate change discussions (due to the islands' low elevation and the threat from sea-level rise) on the UN Human Rights Council and in other international forums, as well as in encouraging regional cooperation, especially between India and Pakistan.
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