Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines instead of Costa Rica, you would:
Health
be 94.9% less likely to die by suicide
Costa Rica has a suicide rate of 8.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, it is 0.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 9.6 years less
In Costa Rica, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, that number is 71 years (69 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.
see 52.9% less spent on your healthcare
Costa Rica spends $1,928 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Saint Vincent and the Grenadines spends $908 as of 2023.
have 14.8% less access to essential health services
Costa Rica scores 81 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines scores 69 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.6 times more likely to be unemployed
In Costa Rica, 6.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, that number is 18.0% as of 2025.
make 37.1% less money
Costa Rica has a GDP per capita of $19,970 as of 2025, while in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the GDP per capita is $12,562 as of 2025.
Life
have 19.7% more children
In Costa Rica, there are approximately 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, there are 12.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.3 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 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, 56.0 women do as of 2023.
be 12.1% 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 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, on the other hand, 10.2 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 12.6% less likely to have internet access
In Costa Rica, approximately 87.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, about 76.2% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 35.4% less on healthcare
Costa Rica spends 6.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, that number is 4.4% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 21.7% more on education
Costa Rica spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines spends 6.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 93.5% less coastline
Costa Rica has a total of 1,290 km of coastline. In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, that number is 84 km.
Safety
be 69.0% less likely to die in a road accident
In Costa Rica, road accidents kill 15.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, they kill 4.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.9 times more likely to be murdered
Costa Rica has a homicide rate of 17.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, that number is 51.3 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 26.5% more home broadband
Costa Rica has 23.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has 29.5 as of 2024.
live with 34.4% more strain on fresh water
Costa Rica withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines withdraws 8% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 19.6% less CO2
Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines emits 1.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 66.7% more likely to die from air pollution
In Costa Rica, air pollution causes 15.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, it causes 25.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Costa Rica vs. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: At a glance
How big is Saint Vincent and the Grenadines compared to Costa Rica? See an in-depth size comparison.