Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Gabon, you would:
Health
be 78.6% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Gabon, 2.8% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 0.6% of people as of 2024.
live 12.5 years longer
In Gabon, the average life expectancy is 69 years (66 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 2.9 times more spent on your healthcare
Gabon spends $673 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 5.2 times more doctors per person
Gabon has 5.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
have 65.3% more access to essential health services
Gabon scores 49 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Costa Rica scores 81 as of 2021.
be 44.2% more likely to be obese
In Gabon, 22.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
be 10.4% more likely to die by suicide
Gabon has a suicide rate of 7.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 66.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Gabon, 20.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
make 2.4 times more money
Gabon has a GDP per capita of $8,263 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
Life
be 89.7% less likely to die during childbirth
In Gabon, approximately 233.0 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 10.3% more likely to be literate
In Gabon, the literacy rate is 88.9% as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 98.0% as of 2021.
be 64.9% less likely to die during infancy
In Gabon, approximately 25.9 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 63.2% fewer children
In Gabon, there are approximately 27.1 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 26.8% more likely to have internet access
In Gabon, approximately 68.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Costa Rica, about 87.2% do as of 2024.
be 12.7% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Gabon, approximately 89% of people have access to drinking water (92% in urban areas, and 49% 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
Gabon spends 2.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Costa Rica spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 2.2 times more on healthcare
Gabon spends 3.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 45.8% more coastline
Gabon has a total of 885 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Safety
be 24.0% more likely to die in a road accident
In Gabon, road accidents kill 12.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 5.0 times more home broadband
Gabon has 4.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
use 2.2 times more electricity
Gabon uses 1,023 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
live with 11.8 times more strain on fresh water
Gabon withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
Environment
be 71.7% less likely to die from air pollution
In Gabon, air pollution causes 53.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 20.5% less CO2
Gabon emits 2.0 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), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Gabon vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Gabon? See an in-depth size comparison.