Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Equatorial Guinea, you would:
Health
live 17.1 years longer
In Equatorial Guinea, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 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 3.2 times more spent on your healthcare
Equatorial Guinea spends $609 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 17.6 times more doctors per person
Equatorial Guinea has 1.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
have 76.1% more access to essential health services
Equatorial Guinea scores 46 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Costa Rica scores 81 as of 2021.
be 70.3% more likely to be obese
In Equatorial Guinea, 19.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
be 14.7% more likely to die by suicide
Equatorial Guinea has a suicide rate of 7.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 18.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Equatorial Guinea, 8.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
be 66.3% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Equatorial Guinea, 50.7% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Costa Rica, however, that number is 17.1% as of 2025.
make 3.0 times more money
Equatorial Guinea has a GDP per capita of $6,615 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
Life
be 86.2% less likely to die during childbirth
In Equatorial Guinea, approximately 174.0 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 80.9% less likely to die during infancy
In Equatorial Guinea, approximately 47.6 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 66.7% fewer children
In Equatorial Guinea, there are approximately 30.0 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 49.5% more likely to have access to electricity
In Equatorial Guinea, approximately 67% of people have electricity access (89% in urban areas, and 2% 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 37.7% more likely to have internet access
In Equatorial Guinea, approximately 63.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Costa Rica, about 87.2% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 96.3% more on healthcare
Equatorial Guinea spends 3.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 4.4 times more coastline
Equatorial Guinea has a total of 296 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Safety
be 32.5% more likely to die in a road accident
In Equatorial Guinea, road accidents kill 11.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 232.9 times more home broadband
Equatorial Guinea has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
use 2.9 times more electricity
Equatorial Guinea uses 792 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
live with 32.7 times more strain on fresh water
Equatorial Guinea withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
Environment
be 74.6% less likely to die from air pollution
In Equatorial Guinea, air pollution causes 59.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 36.1% less CO2
Equatorial Guinea emits 2.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Equatorial Guinea vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Equatorial Guinea? See an in-depth size comparison.