Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Gambia, you would:
Health
be 53.8% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Gambia, 1.3% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 0.6% of people as of 2024.
live 14.9 years longer
In Gambia, the average life expectancy is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 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 20.5 times more spent on your healthcare
Gambia spends $94 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 29.9 times more doctors per person
Gambia has 0.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
have 76.1% more access to essential health services
Gambia scores 46 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Costa Rica scores 81 as of 2021.
be 2.6 times more likely to be obese
In Gambia, 12.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
be 67.6% more likely to die by suicide
Gambia has a suicide rate of 4.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 21.7 times more money
Gambia has a GDP per capita of $919 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
Life
be 93.2% less likely to die during childbirth
In Gambia, approximately 354.0 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 89.8% more likely to be literate
In Gambia, the literacy rate is 51.6% as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 98.0% as of 2021.
be 72.2% less likely to die during infancy
In Gambia, approximately 32.7 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 66.5% fewer children
In Gambia, there are approximately 29.9 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 Gambia, approximately 67% of people have electricity access (85% in urban areas, and 35% 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 76.1% more likely to have internet access
In Gambia, approximately 49.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Costa Rica, about 87.2% do as of 2024.
be 14.6% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Gambia, approximately 87% of people have access to drinking water (92% in urban areas, and 78% 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 89.0% more on education
Gambia spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Costa Rica spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 2.4 times more on healthcare
Gambia spends 2.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 16.1 times more coastline
Gambia has a total of 80 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Safety
be 29.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Gambia, road accidents kill 22.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 44.8 times more home broadband
Gambia has 0.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
live with 2.7 times more strain on fresh water
Gambia withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
Environment
be 83.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In Gambia, air pollution causes 90.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 9.1 times more CO2
Gambia emits 0.2 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: Gambia vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Gambia? See an in-depth size comparison.