Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Trinidad and Tobago instead of Costa Rica, you would:
Health
see 16.4% more spent on your healthcare
Costa Rica spends $1,928 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Trinidad and Tobago spends $2,244 as of 2023.
have 54.7% more doctors per person
Costa Rica has 26.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Trinidad and Tobago has 41.6 as of 2021.
live 7.4 years less
In Costa Rica, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Trinidad and Tobago, that number is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024.
be 65.5% more likely to die by suicide
Costa Rica has a suicide rate of 8.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Trinidad and Tobago, it is 13.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 51.3% less likely to be unemployed
In Costa Rica, 6.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Trinidad and Tobago, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.
Life
be 2.2 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 Trinidad and Tobago, 54.0 women do as of 2023.
be 86.8% 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 Trinidad and Tobago, on the other hand, 17.0 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 39.2% less on education
Costa Rica spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Trinidad and Tobago spends 3.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 71.9% less coastline
Costa Rica has a total of 1,290 km of coastline. In Trinidad and Tobago, that number is 362 km.
Safety
be 67.7% less likely to die in a road accident
In Costa Rica, road accidents kill 15.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Trinidad and Tobago, they kill 5.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.3 times more likely to be murdered
Costa Rica has a homicide rate of 17.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Trinidad and Tobago, that number is 40.4 per 100,000 as of 2022.
Infrastructure
find 16.1% more home broadband
Costa Rica has 23.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Trinidad and Tobago has 27.0 as of 2024.
use 2.9 times more electricity
Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Trinidad and Tobago uses 6,664 kWh as of 2023.
live with 3.5 times more strain on fresh water
Costa Rica withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Trinidad and Tobago withdraws 20% as of 2022.
Environment
be 33.3% more likely to die from air pollution
In Costa Rica, air pollution causes 15.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Trinidad and Tobago, it causes 20.0 as of 2019.
emit 12.0 times more CO2
Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Trinidad and Tobago emits 19.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Costa Rica vs. Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago: At a glance
How big is Trinidad and Tobago compared to Costa Rica? See an in-depth size comparison.