Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Djibouti, you would:
Health
live 14.8 years longer
In Djibouti, the average life expectancy is 66 years (64 years for men, 69 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.
see 12.4 times more spent on your healthcare
Djibouti spends $155 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 12.7 times more doctors per person
Djibouti has 2.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
have 84.1% more access to essential health services
Djibouti scores 44 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Costa Rica scores 81 as of 2021.
be 2.8 times more likely to be obese
In Djibouti, 11.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 73.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Djibouti, 26.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
make 5.1 times more money
Djibouti has a GDP per capita of $3,906 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
Life
be 85.2% less likely to die during childbirth
In Djibouti, approximately 162.0 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 78.8% less likely to die during infancy
In Djibouti, approximately 43.0 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.
have 52.3% fewer children
In Djibouti, there are approximately 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Costa Rica, there are 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 53.4% more likely to have access to electricity
In Djibouti, approximately 65% of people have electricity access (75% in urban areas, and 37% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 33.5% more likely to have internet access
In Djibouti, approximately 65.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Costa Rica, about 87.2% do as of 2024.
be 25.3% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Djibouti, approximately 80% of people have access to drinking water (84% in urban areas, and 62% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 3.0 times more on healthcare
Djibouti spends 2.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 4.1 times more coastline
Djibouti has a total of 314 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Safety
be 33.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Djibouti, road accidents kill 23.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 15.8 times more home broadband
Djibouti has 1.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
Environment
be 74.6% less likely to die from air pollution
In Djibouti, air pollution causes 59.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.1 times more CO2
Djibouti emits 0.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Djibouti vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Djibouti? See an in-depth size comparison.