Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Moldova instead of Costa Rica, you would:
Health
be 31.8% less likely to be obese
In Costa Rica, 32.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Moldova, that number is 22.3% of people as of 2024.
have 49.5% more doctors per person
Costa Rica has 26.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Moldova has 40.2 as of 2023.
live 9.7 years less
In Costa Rica, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Moldova, that number is 71 years (67 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2024.
see 38.7% less spent on your healthcare
Costa Rica spends $1,928 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Moldova spends $1,181 as of 2023.
have 12.3% less access to essential health services
Costa Rica scores 81 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Moldova scores 71 as of 2021.
be 75.4% more likely to die by suicide
Costa Rica has a suicide rate of 8.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Moldova, it is 14.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 78.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Costa Rica, 6.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Moldova, that number is 1.5% as of 2025.
be 96.5% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Costa Rica, 17.1% live below the poverty line as of 2025. In Moldova, however, that number is 33.6% as of 2024.
make 56.8% less money
Costa Rica has a GDP per capita of $19,970 as of 2025, while in Moldova, the GDP per capita is $8,622 as of 2025.
Life
be 20.8% 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 Moldova, 19.0 women do as of 2023.
be 65.9% 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 Moldova, on the other hand, 15.1 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 11.2% less likely to have internet access
In Costa Rica, approximately 87.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Moldova, about 77.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 23.5% more on education
Costa Rica spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Moldova spends 6.6% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 85.7% less likely to be murdered
Costa Rica has a homicide rate of 17.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Moldova, that number is 2.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 41.3% less likely to die in a road accident
In Costa Rica, road accidents kill 15.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Moldova, they kill 9.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 27.2% more home broadband
Costa Rica has 23.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Moldova has 29.6 as of 2024.
live with 2.1 times more strain on fresh water
Costa Rica withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Moldova withdraws 13% as of 2022.
Environment
be 3.9 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 Moldova, it causes 58.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.1 times more CO2
Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Moldova emits 3.4 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. Moldova
Moldova: At a glance
How big is Moldova compared to Costa Rica? See an in-depth size comparison.