Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sri Lanka instead of Costa Rica, you would:
Health
be 65.7% less likely to be obese
In Costa Rica, 32.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, that number is 11.2% of people as of 2024.
live 3.3 years less
In Costa Rica, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, that number is 78 years (74 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
see 73.7% less spent on your healthcare
Costa Rica spends $1,928 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sri Lanka spends $507 as of 2023.
have 57.7% fewer doctors per person
Costa Rica has 26.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Sri Lanka has 11.4 as of 2023.
have 17.3% less access to essential health services
Costa Rica scores 81 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sri Lanka scores 67 as of 2021.
be 82.9% more likely to die by suicide
Costa Rica has a suicide rate of 8.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, it is 14.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 41.5% less likely to be unemployed
In Costa Rica, 6.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sri Lanka, that number is 4.0% as of 2025.
make 75.0% less money
Costa Rica has a GDP per capita of $19,970 as of 2025, while in Sri Lanka, the GDP per capita is $5,002 as of 2025.
Life
be 25.0% 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 Sri Lanka, 18.0 women do as of 2023.
be 42.9% 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 Sri Lanka, on the other hand, 5.2 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 37.4% less likely to have internet access
In Costa Rica, approximately 87.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, about 54.6% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 65.5% less on education
Costa Rica spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Sri Lanka spends 1.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 46.4% less on healthcare
Costa Rica spends 6.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sri Lanka, that number is 3.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 25.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Costa Rica, road accidents kill 15.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, they kill 11.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 63.6% less home broadband
Costa Rica has 23.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sri Lanka has 8.5 as of 2024.
live with 15.4 times more strain on fresh water
Costa Rica withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sri Lanka withdraws 91% as of 2022.
use 71.8% less electricity
Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Sri Lanka uses 644 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 35.0% less CO2
Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sri Lanka emits 1.1 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.5 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 Sri Lanka, it causes 37.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Costa Rica vs. Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: At a glance
How big is Sri Lanka compared to Costa Rica? See an in-depth size comparison.