Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Peru instead of Costa Rica, you would:
Health
be 10.9% less likely to be obese
In Costa Rica, 32.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Peru, that number is 29.1% of people as of 2024.
be 80.9% less likely to die by suicide
Costa Rica has a suicide rate of 8.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Peru, it is 1.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 3.1 years less
In Costa Rica, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Peru, that number is 78 years (76 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024.
see 50.4% less spent on your healthcare
Costa Rica spends $1,928 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Peru spends $956 as of 2023.
have 37.2% fewer doctors per person
Costa Rica has 26.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Peru has 16.9 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. Peru scores 71 as of 2021.
Economy
be 25.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Costa Rica, 6.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Peru, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
be 50.3% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Costa Rica, 17.1% live below the poverty line as of 2025. In Peru, however, that number is 25.7% as of 2025.
make 51.5% less money
Costa Rica has a GDP per capita of $19,970 as of 2025, while in Peru, the GDP per capita is $9,684 as of 2025.
Life
have 57.7% more children
In Costa Rica, there are approximately 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Peru, there are 15.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.1 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 Peru, 51.0 women do as of 2023.
be 20.9% 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 Peru, on the other hand, 11.0 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 17.9% less on education
Costa Rica spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Peru spends 4.4% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 17.9% less on healthcare
Costa Rica spends 6.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Peru, that number is 5.6% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 87.1% more coastline
Costa Rica has a total of 1,290 km of coastline. In Peru, that number is 2,414 km.
Safety
be 51.5% less likely to be murdered
Costa Rica has a homicide rate of 17.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Peru, that number is 8.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 18.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In Costa Rica, road accidents kill 15.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Peru, they kill 12.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 17.9% less strain on fresh water
Costa Rica withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Peru withdraws 5% as of 2022.
find 49.8% less home broadband
Costa Rica has 23.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Peru has 11.7 as of 2024.
use 30.1% less electricity
Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Peru uses 1,595 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 73.3% more likely to die from air pollution
In Costa Rica, air pollution causes 15.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Peru, it causes 26.0 as of 2019.
emit 23.9% more CO2
Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Peru emits 2.0 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Costa Rica vs. Peru
Peru: At a glance
How big is Peru compared to Costa Rica? See an in-depth size comparison.