Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Zimbabwe instead of Costa Rica, you would:
Health
be 55.0% less likely to be obese
In Costa Rica, 32.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, that number is 14.7% of people as of 2024.
be 16.3 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Costa Rica, 0.6% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, that number is 9.8% of people as of 2024.
live 17.9 years less
In Costa Rica, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, that number is 63 years (60 years for men, 65 years for women) as of 2024.
see 94.7% less spent on your healthcare
Costa Rica spends $1,928 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Zimbabwe spends $103 as of 2023.
have 94.9% fewer doctors per person
Costa Rica has 26.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Zimbabwe has 1.4 as of 2023.
have 32.1% less access to essential health services
Costa Rica scores 81 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Zimbabwe scores 55 as of 2021.
be 2.2 times more likely to die by suicide
Costa Rica has a suicide rate of 8.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Zimbabwe, it is 17.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 35.8% more likely to be unemployed
In Costa Rica, 6.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Zimbabwe, that number is 9.3% as of 2025.
make 84.9% less money
Costa Rica has a GDP per capita of $19,970 as of 2025, while in Zimbabwe, the GDP per capita is $3,021 as of 2025.
Life
have 3.0 times more children
In Costa Rica, there are approximately 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, there are 29.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 14.9 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 Zimbabwe, 358.0 women do as of 2023.
be 6.9 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 Zimbabwe, on the other hand, 62.4 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 38.0% less likely to have access to electricity
In Costa Rica, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Zimbabwe, that number is 62% of people on average (84% in urban areas, and 51% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 52.2% less likely to have internet access
In Costa Rica, approximately 87.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, about 41.6% do as of 2024.
be 32.7% 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 Zimbabwe, that number is 67% of people on average (94% in urban areas, and 54% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 92.8% less on education
Costa Rica spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Zimbabwe spends 0.4% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 57.4% less on healthcare
Costa Rica spends 6.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Zimbabwe, that number is 2.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 61.9% less likely to be murdered
Costa Rica has a homicide rate of 17.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Zimbabwe, that number is 6.8 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 92.9% more likely to die in a road accident
In Costa Rica, road accidents kill 15.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Zimbabwe, they kill 29.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 91.7% less home broadband
Costa Rica has 23.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Zimbabwe has 1.9 as of 2024.
live with 7.8 times more strain on fresh water
Costa Rica withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Zimbabwe withdraws 46% as of 2022.
use 77.9% less electricity
Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Zimbabwe uses 504 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 52.8% less CO2
Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Zimbabwe emits 0.8 tonnes as of 2024.
be 3.7 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 Zimbabwe, it causes 56.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Costa Rica vs. Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: At a glance
How big is Zimbabwe compared to Costa Rica? See an in-depth size comparison.