Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Tajikistan instead of Costa Rica, you would:
Health
be 29.4% less likely to be obese
In Costa Rica, 32.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Tajikistan, that number is 23.1% of people as of 2024.
be 69.9% less likely to die by suicide
Costa Rica has a suicide rate of 8.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Tajikistan, it is 2.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 9.1 years less
In Costa Rica, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Tajikistan, that number is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.
see 81.1% less spent on your healthcare
Costa Rica spends $1,928 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Tajikistan spends $364 as of 2023.
have 30.4% fewer doctors per person
Costa Rica has 26.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Tajikistan has 18.7 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. Tajikistan scores 67 as of 2021.
Economy
be 15.8% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Costa Rica, 17.1% live below the poverty line as of 2025. In Tajikistan, however, that number is 19.8% as of 2024.
make 91.8% less money
Costa Rica has a GDP per capita of $19,970 as of 2025, while in Tajikistan, the GDP per capita is $1,637 as of 2025.
Life
be 41.7% 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 Tajikistan, 14.0 women do as of 2023.
have 2.5 times more children
In Costa Rica, there are approximately 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Tajikistan, there are 25.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.6 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 Tajikistan, on the other hand, 23.5 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 36.0% less likely to have internet access
In Costa Rica, approximately 87.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Tajikistan, about 55.8% do as of 2024.
be 10.6% 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 Tajikistan, that number is 89% of people on average (95% in urban areas, and 87% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Safety
be 95.0% less likely to be murdered
Costa Rica has a homicide rate of 17.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Tajikistan, that number is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2020.
be 10.3% less likely to die in a road accident
In Costa Rica, road accidents kill 15.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Tajikistan, they kill 13.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 95.8% less home broadband
Costa Rica has 23.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Tajikistan has 1.0 as of 2023.
live with 11.9 times more strain on fresh water
Costa Rica withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Tajikistan withdraws 70% as of 2022.
use 34.4% less electricity
Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Tajikistan uses 1,497 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 43.6% less CO2
Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Tajikistan emits 0.9 tonnes as of 2024.
be 10.6 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 Tajikistan, it causes 159.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Costa Rica vs. Tajikistan
Tajikistan: At a glance
How big is Tajikistan compared to Costa Rica? See an in-depth size comparison.