Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Ghana, you would:
Health
be 60.0% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Ghana, 1.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 0.6% of people as of 2024.
live 15.3 years longer
In Ghana, the average life expectancy is 66 years (63 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 8.2 times more spent on your healthcare
Ghana spends $234 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 10.1 times more doctors per person
Ghana has 2.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
have 68.8% more access to essential health services
Ghana scores 48 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Costa Rica scores 81 as of 2021.
be 2.2 times more likely to be obese
In Ghana, 14.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
be 51.5% more likely to die by suicide
Ghana has a suicide rate of 5.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 6.1 times more money
Ghana has a GDP per capita of $3,257 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
be 2.3 times more likely to be unemployed
In Ghana, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
Life
be 89.7% less likely to die during childbirth
In Ghana, approximately 234.0 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 28.1% more likely to be literate
In Ghana, the literacy rate is 76.5% as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 98.0% as of 2021.
be 66.9% less likely to die during infancy
In Ghana, approximately 27.5 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 61.5% fewer children
In Ghana, there are approximately 25.9 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 11.7% more likely to have access to electricity
In Ghana, approximately 90% of people have electricity access (98% in urban areas, and 78% 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 20.8% more likely to have internet access
In Ghana, approximately 72.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Costa Rica, about 87.2% do as of 2024.
be 11.0% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Ghana, approximately 90% of people have access to drinking water (99% in urban areas, and 76% 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 82.5% more on education
Ghana spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Costa Rica spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 2.3 times more on healthcare
Ghana spends 3.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 2.4 times more coastline
Ghana has a total of 539 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Safety
be 40.2% less likely to die in a road accident
In Ghana, road accidents kill 25.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 9.7 times more likely to be murdered
Ghana has a homicide rate of 1.8 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Costa Rica, that number is 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 35.3 times more home broadband
Ghana has 0.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
use 4.0 times more electricity
Ghana uses 565 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 83.1% less likely to die from air pollution
In Ghana, air pollution causes 89.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.3 times more CO2
Ghana emits 0.7 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: Ghana vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Ghana? See an in-depth size comparison.