Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Mongolia instead of Costa Rica, you would:
Health
be 23.2% less likely to be obese
In Costa Rica, 32.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Mongolia, that number is 25.1% of people as of 2024.
have 53.7% more doctors per person
Costa Rica has 26.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Mongolia has 41.3 as of 2022.
live 8.6 years less
In Costa Rica, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Mongolia, that number is 72 years (68 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024.
see 42.5% less spent on your healthcare
Costa Rica spends $1,928 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Mongolia spends $1,109 as of 2023.
have 19.8% less access to essential health services
Costa Rica scores 81 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Mongolia scores 65 as of 2021.
be 2.3 times more likely to die by suicide
Costa Rica has a suicide rate of 8.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Mongolia, it is 18.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 23.5% less likely to be unemployed
In Costa Rica, 6.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Mongolia, that number is 5.2% as of 2025.
be 58.5% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Costa Rica, 17.1% live below the poverty line as of 2025. In Mongolia, however, that number is 27.1% as of 2022.
make 64.4% less money
Costa Rica has a GDP per capita of $19,970 as of 2025, while in Mongolia, the GDP per capita is $7,108 as of 2025.
Life
have 69.2% more children
In Costa Rica, there are approximately 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Mongolia, there are 16.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 70.8% 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 Mongolia, 41.0 women do as of 2023.
be 23.1% 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 Mongolia, on the other hand, 11.2 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 13.8% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Costa Rica, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Mongolia, that number is 86% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 64% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 11.6% less on healthcare
Costa Rica spends 6.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Mongolia, that number is 6.1% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 66.6% less likely to be murdered
Costa Rica has a homicide rate of 17.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Mongolia, that number is 5.9 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 20.0% less likely to die in a road accident
In Costa Rica, road accidents kill 15.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Mongolia, they kill 12.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 42.2% less strain on fresh water
Costa Rica withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Mongolia withdraws 3% as of 2022.
use 19.5% more electricity
Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Mongolia uses 2,728 kWh as of 2023.
find 32.2% less home broadband
Costa Rica has 23.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Mongolia has 15.8 as of 2024.
Environment
be 8.0 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 Mongolia, it causes 120.0 as of 2019.
emit 4.8 times more CO2
Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Mongolia emits 7.8 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. Mongolia
Mongolia: At a glance
How big is Mongolia compared to Costa Rica? See an in-depth size comparison.