Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Haiti, you would:
Health
be 62.5% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Haiti, 1.6% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 0.6% of people as of 2024.
live 15.9 years longer
In Haiti, the average life expectancy is 65 years (62 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 18.4 times more spent on your healthcare
Haiti spends $105 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 9.2 times more doctors per person
Haiti has 2.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
have 50.0% more access to essential health services
Haiti scores 54 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Costa Rica scores 81 as of 2021.
be 2.9 times more likely to be obese
In Haiti, 11.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 54.2% less likely to be unemployed
In Haiti, 14.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
make 7.4 times more money
Haiti has a GDP per capita of $2,694 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
Life
be 92.7% less likely to die during childbirth
In Haiti, approximately 328.0 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 76.7% less likely to die during infancy
In Haiti, approximately 39.0 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 54.5% fewer children
In Haiti, there are approximately 21.9 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 94.9% more likely to have access to electricity
In Haiti, approximately 51% of people have electricity access (84% in urban areas, and 3% 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 82.1% more likely to have internet access
In Haiti, approximately 47.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Costa Rica, about 87.2% do as of 2024.
be 36.1% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Haiti, approximately 73% of people have access to drinking water (85% in urban areas, and 55% 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 5.5 times more on education
Haiti spends 1.0% 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
Haiti spends 3.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 27.2% less coastline
Haiti has a total of 1,771 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Safety
be 56.9% less likely to be murdered
Haiti has a homicide rate of 41.1 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 50.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Haiti, road accidents kill 31.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 75.1 times more home broadband
Haiti has 0.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
live with 56.1% less strain on fresh water
Haiti withdraws 13% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
use 29.9 times more electricity
Haiti uses 76 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2022. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 70.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Haiti, air pollution causes 50.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 5.4 times more CO2
Haiti emits 0.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Haiti vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Haiti? See an in-depth size comparison.