Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Republic of the Congo instead of Costa Rica, you would:
Health
be 62.7% less likely to be obese
In Costa Rica, 32.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Republic of the Congo, that number is 12.2% of people as of 2024.
be 16.7% less likely to die by suicide
Costa Rica has a suicide rate of 8.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Republic of the Congo, it is 6.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 5.3 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Costa Rica, 0.6% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Republic of the Congo, that number is 3.2% of people as of 2024.
live 15.0 years less
In Costa Rica, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Republic of the Congo, that number is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024.
see 89.2% less spent on your healthcare
Costa Rica spends $1,928 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Republic of the Congo spends $209 as of 2023.
have 93.6% fewer doctors per person
Costa Rica has 26.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Republic of the Congo has 1.7 as of 2022.
have 49.4% less access to essential health services
Costa Rica scores 81 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Republic of the Congo scores 41 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.9 times more likely to be unemployed
In Costa Rica, 6.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Republic of the Congo, that number is 19.9% as of 2025.
make 87.4% less money
Costa Rica has a GDP per capita of $19,970 as of 2025, while in Republic of the Congo, the GDP per capita is $2,515 as of 2025.
Life
have 3.0 times more children
In Costa Rica, there are approximately 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Republic of the Congo, there are 30.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 10.0 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 Republic of the Congo, 241.0 women do as of 2023.
be 17.8% less likely to be literate
In Costa Rica, the literacy rate is 98.0% as of 2021. In Republic of the Congo, it is 80.6% as of 2021.
be 3.0 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 Republic of the Congo, on the other hand, 27.0 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 48.7% 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 Republic of the Congo, that number is 51% of people on average (69% in urban areas, and 11% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 45.8% less likely to have internet access
In Costa Rica, approximately 87.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Republic of the Congo, about 47.2% do as of 2024.
be 26.4% 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 Republic of the Congo, that number is 73% of people on average (87% in urban areas, and 44% in rural areas) as of 2021.
Expenditures
spend 37.1% less on education
Costa Rica spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Republic of the Congo spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 52.0% less on healthcare
Costa Rica spends 6.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Republic of the Congo, that number is 3.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 86.9% less coastline
Costa Rica has a total of 1,290 km of coastline. In Republic of the Congo, that number is 169 km.
Safety
be 45.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Costa Rica, road accidents kill 15.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Republic of the Congo, they kill 8.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 99.5% less strain on fresh water
Costa Rica withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Republic of the Congo withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 94.5% less home broadband
Costa Rica has 23.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Republic of the Congo has 1.3 as of 2023.
use 85.2% less electricity
Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Republic of the Congo uses 338 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 17.8% less CO2
Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Republic of the Congo emits 1.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 4.4 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 Republic of the Congo, it causes 66.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Costa Rica vs. Republic of the Congo
Republic of the Congo: At a glance
How big is Republic of the Congo compared to Costa Rica? See an in-depth size comparison.