Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Denmark, you would:
Health
be 22.9% less likely to die by suicide
Denmark has a suicide rate of 10.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 1.2 years less
In Denmark, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
be 2.3 times more likely to be obese
In Denmark, 14.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
see 73.5% less spent on your healthcare
Denmark spends $7,262 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 40.3% fewer doctors per person
Denmark has 45.0 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
Economy
be 23.7% more likely to be unemployed
In Denmark, 5.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
make 74.1% less money
Denmark has a GDP per capita of $76,970 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
Life
be 6.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Denmark, approximately 4.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Costa Rica, 24.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.6 times more likely to die during infancy
In Denmark, approximately 3.5 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Costa Rica, on the other hand, 9.1 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 12.6% less likely to have internet access
In Denmark, approximately 99.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Costa Rica, about 87.2% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 16.5% less on education
Denmark spends 6.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Costa Rica spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 26.8% less on healthcare
Denmark spends 9.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 82.4% less coastline
Denmark has a total of 7,314 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Safety
be 21.1 times more likely to be murdered
Denmark has a homicide rate of 0.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 6.7 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Denmark, road accidents kill 2.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 76.7% less strain on fresh water
Denmark withdraws 25% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
find 46.3% less home broadband
Denmark has 43.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
use 63.0% less electricity
Denmark uses 6,165 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
emit 61.9% less CO2
Denmark emits 4.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.
be 15.4% more likely to die from air pollution
In Denmark, air pollution causes 13.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 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: Denmark vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Denmark? See an in-depth size comparison.