Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Estonia, you would:
Health
live 1.7 years longer
In Estonia, the average life expectancy is 79 years (75 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 46.1% less likely to die by suicide
Estonia has a suicide rate of 14.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 60.9% more likely to be obese
In Estonia, 20.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
see 48.5% less spent on your healthcare
Estonia spends $3,741 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 22.5% fewer doctors per person
Estonia has 34.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
Economy
be 17.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Estonia, 8.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
be 24.0% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Estonia, 22.5% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Costa Rica, however, that number is 17.1% as of 2025.
make 42.0% less money
Estonia has a GDP per capita of $34,418 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
Life
have 40.7% more children
In Estonia, there are approximately 7.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Costa Rica, there are 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 4.8 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Estonia, approximately 5.0 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 6.1 times more likely to die during infancy
In Estonia, approximately 1.5 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.
Expenditures
spend 12.4% less on healthcare
Estonia spends 7.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 66.0% less coastline
Estonia has a total of 3,794 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Safety
be 11.5 times more likely to be murdered
Estonia has a homicide rate of 1.5 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 3.5 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Estonia, road accidents kill 4.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 54.9% less strain on fresh water
Estonia withdraws 13% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
find 34.1% less home broadband
Estonia has 35.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
use 56.9% less electricity
Estonia uses 5,298 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
emit 79.0% less CO2
Estonia emits 7.8 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 Estonia, 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: Estonia vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Estonia? See an in-depth size comparison.