Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malta instead of Costa Rica, you would:
Health
live 2.0 years longer
In Costa Rica, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Malta, that number is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024.
see 3.0 times more spent on your healthcare
Costa Rica spends $1,928 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malta spends $5,706 as of 2023.
have 68.0% more doctors per person
Costa Rica has 26.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Malta has 45.1 as of 2022.
be 19.7% less likely to die by suicide
Costa Rica has a suicide rate of 8.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malta, it is 6.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 57.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Costa Rica, 6.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malta, that number is 2.9% as of 2025.
make 2.4 times more money
Costa Rica has a GDP per capita of $19,970 as of 2025, while in Malta, the GDP per capita is $47,907 as of 2025.
Life
be 66.7% 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 Malta, 8.0 women do as of 2023.
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 Malta, on the other hand, 4.7 children do as of 2024.
have 22.9% fewer children
In Costa Rica, there are approximately 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malta, there are 7.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 11.3% less on education
Costa Rica spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Malta spends 4.7% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 28.7% more on healthcare
Costa Rica spends 6.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malta, that number is 8.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 84.7% less coastline
Costa Rica has a total of 1,290 km of coastline. In Malta, that number is 197 km.
Safety
be 96.8% less likely to be murdered
Costa Rica has a homicide rate of 17.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Malta, that number is 0.6 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 87.7% less likely to die in a road accident
In Costa Rica, road accidents kill 15.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malta, they kill 1.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 91.1% more home broadband
Costa Rica has 23.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Malta has 44.5 as of 2024.
use 2.2 times more electricity
Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Malta uses 5,013 kWh as of 2023.
live with 12.3 times more strain on fresh water
Costa Rica withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malta withdraws 73% as of 2022.
Environment
be 40.0% more likely to die from air pollution
In Costa Rica, air pollution causes 15.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malta, it causes 21.0 as of 2019.
emit 95.1% more CO2
Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Malta emits 3.2 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. Malta
Malta: At a glance
How big is Malta compared to Costa Rica? See an in-depth size comparison.