Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Ethiopia, you would:
Health
live 13.4 years longer
In Ethiopia, the average life expectancy is 68 years (64 years for men, 71 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 22.5 times more spent on your healthcare
Ethiopia spends $86 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 18.8 times more doctors per person
Ethiopia has 1.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
have 2.3 times more access to essential health services
Ethiopia scores 35 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Costa Rica scores 81 as of 2021.
be 11.2 times more likely to be obese
In Ethiopia, 2.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
be 32.8% more likely to die by suicide
Ethiopia has a suicide rate of 6.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 21.4 times more money
Ethiopia has a GDP per capita of $933 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 Ethiopia, 3.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
Life
be 87.7% less likely to die during childbirth
In Ethiopia, approximately 195.0 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 62.1% more likely to be literate
In Ethiopia, the literacy rate is 60.5% as of 2022. In Costa Rica, it is 98.0% as of 2021.
be 73.6% less likely to die during infancy
In Ethiopia, approximately 34.5 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.
have 68.3% fewer children
In Ethiopia, there are approximately 31.5 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 80.5% more likely to have access to electricity
In Ethiopia, approximately 55% of people have electricity access (95% in urban areas, and 44% 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 4.0 times more likely to have internet access
In Ethiopia, approximately 21.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Costa Rica, about 87.2% do as of 2024.
be 79.5% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Ethiopia, approximately 56% of people have access to drinking water (83% in urban areas, and 47% 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 2.3 times more on education
Ethiopia spends 2.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Costa Rica spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 2.5 times more on healthcare
Ethiopia spends 2.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 12.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Ethiopia, road accidents kill 17.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 39.5 times more home broadband
Ethiopia has 0.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
live with 81.8% less strain on fresh water
Ethiopia withdraws 32% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
use 20.3 times more electricity
Ethiopia uses 113 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 67.4% less likely to die from air pollution
In Ethiopia, air pollution causes 46.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 10.9 times more CO2
Ethiopia emits 0.1 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 (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Ethiopia vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Ethiopia? See an in-depth size comparison.