Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Germany, you would:
Health
be 37.5% less likely to die by suicide
Germany has a suicide rate of 12.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 58.4% more likely to be obese
In Germany, 20.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
see 78.2% less spent on your healthcare
Germany spends $8,826 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 40.7% fewer doctors per person
Germany has 45.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
Economy
be 84.4% more likely to be unemployed
In Germany, 3.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
make 67.0% less money
Germany has a GDP per capita of $60,496 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
Life
have 23.3% more children
In Germany, there are approximately 8.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Costa Rica, there are 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 6.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Germany, approximately 4.0 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 2.9 times more likely to die during infancy
In Germany, approximately 3.1 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 44.0% less on healthcare
Germany spends 12.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 46.0% less coastline
Germany has a total of 2,389 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Safety
be 19.5 times more likely to be murdered
Germany has a homicide rate of 0.9 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 4.7 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Germany, road accidents kill 3.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 83.4% less strain on fresh water
Germany withdraws 35% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
find 48.9% less home broadband
Germany has 45.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
use 62.6% less electricity
Germany uses 6,109 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
emit 76.5% less CO2
Germany emits 6.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Germany vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Germany? See an in-depth size comparison.