Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Tonga instead of Costa Rica, you would:
Health
be 41.3% less likely to die by suicide
Costa Rica has a suicide rate of 8.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Tonga, it is 4.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 7.9 years less
In Costa Rica, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Tonga, that number is 73 years (70 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024.
be 2.3 times more likely to be obese
In Costa Rica, 32.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Tonga, that number is 73.8% of people as of 2024.
see 73.4% less spent on your healthcare
Costa Rica spends $1,928 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Tonga spends $512 as of 2023.
have 62.3% fewer doctors per person
Costa Rica has 26.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Tonga has 10.1 as of 2021.
have 29.6% less access to essential health services
Costa Rica scores 81 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Tonga scores 57 as of 2021.
Economy
be 70.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Costa Rica, 6.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Tonga, that number is 2.0% as of 2025.
make 67.2% less money
Costa Rica has a GDP per capita of $19,970 as of 2025, while in Tonga, the GDP per capita is $6,547 as of 2025.
Life
be 14.3% 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 Tonga, on the other hand, 7.8 children do as of 2024.
have 2.3 times more children
In Costa Rica, there are approximately 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Tonga, there are 23.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.8 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 Tonga, 67.0 women do as of 2023.
Basic Needs
be 22.6% less likely to have internet access
In Costa Rica, approximately 87.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Tonga, about 67.4% do as of 2024.
Geography
see 67.5% less coastline
Costa Rica has a total of 1,290 km of coastline. In Tonga, that number is 419 km.
Safety
be 45.2% less likely to die in a road accident
In Costa Rica, road accidents kill 15.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Tonga, they kill 8.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 64.9% less home broadband
Costa Rica has 23.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Tonga has 8.2 as of 2022.
Environment
be 60.0% more likely to die from air pollution
In Costa Rica, air pollution causes 15.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Tonga, it causes 24.0 as of 2019.
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. Tonga
Tonga: At a glance
How big is Tonga compared to Costa Rica? See an in-depth size comparison.