Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Ecuador, you would:
Health
live 3.4 years longer
In Ecuador, the average life expectancy is 78 years (75 years for men, 80 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 55.7% more spent on your healthcare
Ecuador spends $1,238 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 16.2% more doctors per person
Ecuador has 23.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
be 13.0% more likely to be obese
In Ecuador, 28.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 20.1% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Ecuador, 21.4% live below the poverty line as of 2025. In Costa Rica, however, that number is 17.1% as of 2025.
make 2.8 times more money
Ecuador has a GDP per capita of $7,125 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
be 2.1 times more likely to be unemployed
In Ecuador, 3.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
Life
be 56.4% less likely to die during childbirth
In Ecuador, approximately 55.0 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 16.5% less likely to die during infancy
In Ecuador, approximately 10.9 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 32.6% fewer children
In Ecuador, there are approximately 14.8 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 13.0% more likely to have internet access
In Ecuador, approximately 77.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Costa Rica, about 87.2% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 43.9% more on education
Ecuador spends 3.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Costa Rica spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 42.3% less coastline
Ecuador has a total of 2,237 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Safety
be 61.2% less likely to be murdered
Ecuador has a homicide rate of 45.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 33.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Ecuador, road accidents kill 23.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 35.0% more home broadband
Ecuador has 17.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
live with 13.3% less strain on fresh water
Ecuador withdraws 7% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
use 36.2% more electricity
Ecuador uses 1,676 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 34.8% less likely to die from air pollution
In Ecuador, air pollution causes 23.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 38.3% less CO2
Ecuador emits 2.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Ecuador vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Ecuador? See an in-depth size comparison.