Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Honduras, you would:
Health
live 8.0 years longer
In Honduras, the average life expectancy is 73 years (70 years for men, 76 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 3.5 times more spent on your healthcare
Honduras spends $553 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 5.5 times more doctors per person
Honduras has 4.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
have 26.6% more access to essential health services
Honduras scores 64 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Costa Rica scores 81 as of 2021.
be 2.7 times more likely to die by suicide
Honduras has a suicide rate of 3.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 71.5% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Honduras, 60.1% live below the poverty line as of 2025. In Costa Rica, however, that number is 17.1% as of 2025.
make 5.6 times more money
Honduras has a GDP per capita of $3,598 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
be 39.0% more likely to be unemployed
In Honduras, 4.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
Life
be 48.9% less likely to die during childbirth
In Honduras, approximately 47.0 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 11.0% more likely to be literate
In Honduras, the literacy rate is 88.2% as of 2024. In Costa Rica, it is 98.0% as of 2021.
be 28.9% less likely to die during infancy
In Honduras, approximately 12.8 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 53.9% fewer children
In Honduras, there are approximately 21.6 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 48.7% more likely to have internet access
In Honduras, approximately 58.6% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Costa Rica, about 87.2% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 10.9% less on healthcare
Honduras spends 7.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 16.7% more on education
Honduras spends 4.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Costa Rica spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 56.7% more coastline
Honduras has a total of 823 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Safety
be 43.5% less likely to be murdered
Honduras has a homicide rate of 31.4 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 16.2% less likely to die in a road accident
In Honduras, road accidents kill 18.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 5.1 times more home broadband
Honduras has 4.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
use 3.0 times more electricity
Honduras uses 752 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
live with 27.3% more strain on fresh water
Honduras withdraws 5% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
Environment
be 69.4% less likely to die from air pollution
In Honduras, air pollution causes 49.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 43.0% more CO2
Honduras emits 1.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Honduras vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Honduras? See an in-depth size comparison.