Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Thailand instead of Costa Rica, you would:
Health
be 50.0% less likely to be obese
In Costa Rica, 32.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Thailand, that number is 16.4% of people as of 2024.
live 4.4 years less
In Costa Rica, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Thailand, that number is 77 years (72 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
see 44.7% less spent on your healthcare
Costa Rica spends $1,928 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Thailand spends $1,067 as of 2023.
have 79.9% fewer doctors per person
Costa Rica has 26.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Thailand has 5.4 as of 2021.
be 2.1 times more likely to die by suicide
Costa Rica has a suicide rate of 8.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Thailand, it is 16.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 88.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Costa Rica, 6.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Thailand, that number is 0.8% as of 2025.
be 68.4% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Costa Rica, 17.1% live below the poverty line as of 2025. In Thailand, however, that number is 5.4% as of 2022.
make 59.7% less money
Costa Rica has a GDP per capita of $19,970 as of 2025, while in Thailand, the GDP per capita is $8,057 as of 2025.
Life
be 15.4% 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 Thailand, on the other hand, 7.7 children do as of 2024.
be 41.7% 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 Thailand, 34.0 women do as of 2023.
have 18.7% fewer children
In Costa Rica, there are approximately 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Thailand, there are 8.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 52.5% less on education
Costa Rica spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Thailand spends 2.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 33.9% less on healthcare
Costa Rica spends 6.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Thailand, that number is 4.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 2.5 times more coastline
Costa Rica has a total of 1,290 km of coastline. In Thailand, that number is 3,219 km.
Safety
be 63.9% more likely to die in a road accident
In Costa Rica, road accidents kill 15.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Thailand, they kill 25.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
use 29.9% more electricity
Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Thailand uses 2,965 kWh as of 2023.
find 36.1% less home broadband
Costa Rica has 23.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Thailand has 14.9 as of 2024.
live with 3.9 times more strain on fresh water
Costa Rica withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Thailand withdraws 23% as of 2022.
Environment
be 93.3% more likely to die from air pollution
In Costa Rica, air pollution causes 15.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Thailand, it causes 29.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.4 times more CO2
Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Thailand emits 4.0 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. Thailand
Thailand: At a glance
How big is Thailand compared to Costa Rica? See an in-depth size comparison.