Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Finland, you would:
Health
be 44.7% less likely to die by suicide
Finland has a suicide rate of 14.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 1.3 years less
In Finland, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 85 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 35.1% more likely to be obese
In Finland, 24.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
see 70.0% less spent on your healthcare
Finland spends $6,433 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 25.5% fewer doctors per person
Finland has 36.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
Economy
be 27.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Finland, 9.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
be 40.2% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Finland, 12.2% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Costa Rica, however, that number is 17.1% as of 2025.
make 64.4% less money
Finland has a GDP per capita of $56,149 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
Life
have 28.1% more children
In Finland, there are approximately 7.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Costa Rica, there are 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 3.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Finland, approximately 8.0 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 4.8 times more likely to die during infancy
In Finland, approximately 1.9 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.
Expenditures
spend 16.8% less on education
Finland spends 6.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Costa Rica spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 34.4% less on healthcare
Finland spends 10.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 18.1 times more likely to be murdered
Finland has a homicide rate of 1.0 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 3.7 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Finland, road accidents kill 4.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 17.3% less strain on fresh water
Finland withdraws 7% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
find 36.2% less home broadband
Finland has 36.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
use 84.6% less electricity
Finland uses 14,819 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
emit 70.6% less CO2
Finland emits 5.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.1 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Finland, air pollution causes 7.0 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). How we calculate this
Compare further: Finland vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Finland? See an in-depth size comparison.