Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Turkmenistan instead of Costa Rica, you would:
Health
be 32.0% less likely to be obese
In Costa Rica, 32.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Turkmenistan, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.
be 15.3% less likely to die by suicide
Costa Rica has a suicide rate of 8.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Turkmenistan, it is 6.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 10.8 years less
In Costa Rica, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Turkmenistan, that number is 70 years (67 years for men, 73 years for women) as of 2024.
see 34.4% less spent on your healthcare
Costa Rica spends $1,928 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Turkmenistan spends $1,264 as of 2023.
have 28.2% fewer doctors per person
Costa Rica has 26.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Turkmenistan has 19.3 as of 2023.
Economy
be 37.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Costa Rica, 6.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Turkmenistan, that number is 4.3% as of 2025.
make 67.3% less money
Costa Rica has a GDP per capita of $19,970 as of 2025, while in Turkmenistan, the GDP per capita is $6,540 as of 2025.
Life
be 79.2% 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 Turkmenistan, 5.0 women do as of 2023.
have 2.1 times more children
In Costa Rica, there are approximately 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Turkmenistan, there are 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 3.3 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 Turkmenistan, on the other hand, 30.4 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 71.0% less likely to have internet access
In Costa Rica, approximately 87.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Turkmenistan, about 25.3% do as of 2022.
Expenditures
spend 19.2% less on education
Costa Rica spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Turkmenistan spends 4.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 19.9% less on healthcare
Costa Rica spends 6.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Turkmenistan, that number is 5.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 48.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Costa Rica, road accidents kill 15.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Turkmenistan, they kill 8.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
use 21.7% more electricity
Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Turkmenistan uses 2,778 kWh as of 2023.
find 77.6% less home broadband
Costa Rica has 23.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Turkmenistan has 5.2 as of 2022.
live with 23.0 times more strain on fresh water
Costa Rica withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Turkmenistan withdraws 135% as of 2022.
Environment
be 5.8 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 Turkmenistan, it causes 87.0 as of 2019.
emit 6.7 times more CO2
Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Turkmenistan emits 10.9 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2022). How we calculate this
Compare further: Costa Rica vs. Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan: At a glance
How big is Turkmenistan compared to Costa Rica? See an in-depth size comparison.