Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Niger instead of Costa Rica, you would:
Health
be 79.3% less likely to be obese
In Costa Rica, 32.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Niger, that number is 6.8% of people as of 2024.
be 44.4% less likely to die by suicide
Costa Rica has a suicide rate of 8.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Niger, it is 4.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 19.6 years less
In Costa Rica, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Niger, that number is 61 years (60 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024.
see 96.0% less spent on your healthcare
Costa Rica spends $1,928 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Niger spends $76 as of 2023.
have 98.6% fewer doctors per person
Costa Rica has 26.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Niger has 0.4 as of 2023.
have 56.8% less access to essential health services
Costa Rica scores 81 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Niger scores 35 as of 2021.
Economy
be 94.3% less likely to be unemployed
In Costa Rica, 6.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Niger, that number is 0.4% as of 2025.
make 96.1% less money
Costa Rica has a GDP per capita of $19,970 as of 2025, while in Niger, the GDP per capita is $775 as of 2025.
Life
have 4.1 times more children
In Costa Rica, there are approximately 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Niger, there are 41.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 14.6 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 Niger, 350.0 women do as of 2023.
be 63.7% less likely to be literate
In Costa Rica, the literacy rate is 98.0% as of 2021. In Niger, it is 35.6% as of 2022.
be 7.2 times 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 Niger, on the other hand, 65.6 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 79.9% less likely to have access to electricity
In Costa Rica, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Niger, that number is 20% of people on average (67% in urban areas, and 10% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 82.1% less likely to have internet access
In Costa Rica, approximately 87.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Niger, about 15.6% do as of 2024.
be 46.5% 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 Niger, that number is 53% of people on average (87% in urban areas, and 46% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 23.4% less on education
Costa Rica spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Niger spends 4.1% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 41.0% less on healthcare
Costa Rica spends 6.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Niger, that number is 4.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 60.6% more likely to die in a road accident
In Costa Rica, road accidents kill 15.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Niger, they kill 24.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 99.5% less home broadband
Costa Rica has 23.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Niger has 0.1 as of 2024.
live with 87.4% more strain on fresh water
Costa Rica withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Niger withdraws 11% as of 2022.
use 97.0% less electricity
Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Niger uses 68 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 92.6% less CO2
Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Niger emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
be 6.2 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 Niger, it causes 93.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Costa Rica vs. Niger
Niger: At a glance
How big is Niger compared to Costa Rica? See an in-depth size comparison.