Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Costa Rica, you would:
Health
live 2.6 years longer
In Costa Rica, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 84 years (81 years for men, 87 years for women) as of 2024.
be 74.4% less likely to be obese
In Costa Rica, 32.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
see 2.6 times more spent on your healthcare
Costa Rica spends $1,928 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
be 3.4 times more likely to die by suicide
Costa Rica has a suicide rate of 8.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 60.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Costa Rica, 6.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
make 81.4% more money
Costa Rica has a GDP per capita of $19,970 as of 2025, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
Life
be 83.3% less 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 South Korea, 4.0 women do as of 2023.
be 74.7% less 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 South Korea, on the other hand, 2.3 children do as of 2024.
have 53.0% fewer children
In Costa Rica, there are approximately 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Korea, there are 4.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 12.3% more likely to have internet access
In Costa Rica, approximately 87.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Korea, about 97.9% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 26.3% more on healthcare
Costa Rica spends 6.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 8.7% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 87.1% more coastline
Costa Rica has a total of 1,290 km of coastline. In South Korea, that number is 2,413 km.
Safety
be 97.3% less likely to be murdered
Costa Rica has a homicide rate of 17.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 0.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 55.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Costa Rica, road accidents kill 15.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Korea, they kill 6.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 2.1 times more home broadband
Costa Rica has 23.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
use 5.0 times more electricity
Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. South Korea uses 11,350 kWh as of 2024.
live with 14.5 times more strain on fresh water
Costa Rica withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Korea withdraws 85% as of 2022.
Environment
be 26.7% more likely to die from air pollution
In Costa Rica, air pollution causes 15.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 7.0 times more CO2
Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. South Korea emits 11.4 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. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Costa Rica? See an in-depth size comparison.