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

Health

be 35.6% less likely to be obese

In Costa Rica, 32.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Mauritius, that number is 21.1% of people as of 2024.

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live 7.2 years less

In Costa Rica, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Mauritius, that number is 74 years (70 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 18.8% less spent on your healthcare

Costa Rica spends $1,928 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Mauritius spends $1,566 as of 2023.

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have 46.6% fewer doctors per person

Costa Rica has 26.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Mauritius has 14.4 as of 2022.

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have 18.5% less access to essential health services

Costa Rica scores 81 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Mauritius scores 66 as of 2021.

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be 30.5% more likely to die by suicide

Costa Rica has a suicide rate of 8.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Mauritius, it is 10.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 17.7% less likely to be unemployed

In Costa Rica, 6.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Mauritius, that number is 5.6% as of 2025.

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be 50.9% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Costa Rica, 17.1% live below the poverty line as of 2025. In Mauritius, however, that number is 8.4% as of 2023.

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make 34.9% less money

Costa Rica has a GDP per capita of $19,970 as of 2025, while in Mauritius, the GDP per capita is $12,991 as of 2025.

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Life

be 2.8 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 Mauritius, 66.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 51.6% 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 Mauritius, on the other hand, 13.8 children do as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 15.9% less likely to have internet access

In Costa Rica, approximately 87.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Mauritius, about 73.3% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 20.0% less on education

Costa Rica spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Mauritius spends 4.2% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

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spend 18.9% less on healthcare

Costa Rica spends 6.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Mauritius, that number is 5.6% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 86.3% less coastline

Costa Rica has a total of 1,290 km of coastline. In Mauritius, that number is 177 km.

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Safety

be 87.2% less likely to be murdered

Costa Rica has a homicide rate of 17.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Mauritius, that number is 2.3 per 100,000 as of 2022.

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be 37.4% less likely to die in a road accident

In Costa Rica, road accidents kill 15.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Mauritius, they kill 9.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 20.1% more home broadband

Costa Rica has 23.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Mauritius has 28.0 as of 2024.

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live with 3.9 times more strain on fresh water

Costa Rica withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Mauritius withdraws 23% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 86.7% more likely to die from air pollution

In Costa Rica, air pollution causes 15.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Mauritius, it causes 28.0 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. Mauritius emits 3.5 tonnes as of 2024.

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

Mauritius: At a glance

Mauritius is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 2,030 sq km. Although known to Arab and Malay sailors as early as the 10th century, Mauritius was first explored by the Portuguese in the 16th century and subsequently settled by the Dutch - who named it in honor of Prince Maurits van NASSAU - in the 17th century. The French assumed control in 1715, developing the island into an important naval base overseeing Indian Ocean trade, and establishing a plantation economy of sugar cane. The British captured the island in 1810, during the Napoleonic Wars. Mauritius remained a strategically important British naval base, and later an air station, playing an important role during World War II for anti-submarine and convoy operations, as well as the collection of signals intelligence. Independence from the UK was attained in 1968. A stable democracy with regular free elections and a positive human rights record, the country has attracted considerable foreign investment and has earned one of Africa's highest per capita incomes.
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How big is Mauritius compared to Costa Rica? See an in-depth size comparison.

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