Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Dominica, you would:
Health
live 9.7 years longer
In Dominica, the average life expectancy is 71 years (68 years for men, 75 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 99.1% more spent on your healthcare
Dominica spends $968 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 65.3% more access to essential health services
Dominica scores 49 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Costa Rica scores 81 as of 2021.
Economy
make 81.7% more money
Dominica has a GDP per capita of $10,989 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
Life
be 33.3% less likely to die during childbirth
In Dominica, approximately 36.0 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 72.7% less likely to die during infancy
In Dominica, approximately 33.3 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.
Expenditures
spend 37.1% more on healthcare
Dominica spends 5.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 8.7 times more coastline
Dominica has a total of 148 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Safety
be 34.4% less likely to be murdered
Dominica has a homicide rate of 27.1 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 40.9% more likely to die in a road accident
In Dominica, road accidents kill 11.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 11.6% more home broadband
Dominica has 20.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
live with 41.2% less strain on fresh water
Dominica withdraws 10% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 28.3% more CO2
Dominica emits 1.3 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 (2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Dominica vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Dominica? See an in-depth size comparison.