Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Iceland, you would:
Health
be 32.3% less likely to die by suicide
Iceland has a suicide rate of 11.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 1.8 years less
In Iceland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 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.
be 47.3% more likely to be obese
In Iceland, 22.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
see 72.2% less spent on your healthcare
Iceland spends $6,927 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 38.6% fewer doctors per person
Iceland has 43.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
Economy
be 89.0% more likely to be unemployed
In Iceland, 3.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
make 79.7% less money
Iceland has a GDP per capita of $98,323 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
Life
be 8.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Iceland, approximately 3.0 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 4.3 times more likely to die during infancy
In Iceland, approximately 2.1 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.
have 10.8% fewer children
In Iceland, there are approximately 11.2 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 11.2% less likely to have internet access
In Iceland, approximately 98.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Costa Rica, about 87.2% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 27.4% less on education
Iceland spends 7.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Costa Rica spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 23.5% less on healthcare
Iceland spends 9.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 74.0% less coastline
Iceland has a total of 4,970 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Safety
be 13.8 times more likely to be murdered
Iceland has a homicide rate of 1.3 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 6.5 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Iceland, road accidents kill 2.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 37.9% less home broadband
Iceland has 37.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
live with 15.1 times more strain on fresh water
Iceland withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
use 95.3% less electricity
Iceland uses 48,998 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
emit 80.9% less CO2
Iceland emits 8.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.
be 87.5% more likely to die from air pollution
In Iceland, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Iceland vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Iceland? See an in-depth size comparison.