Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Iraq, you would:
Health
live 8.6 years longer
In Iraq, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 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 17.6% less likely to be obese
In Iraq, 39.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
see 2.3 times more spent on your healthcare
Iraq spends $843 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 2.6 times more doctors per person
Iraq has 10.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
have 37.3% more access to essential health services
Iraq scores 59 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
Iraq 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 55.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Iraq, 15.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
make 3.7 times more money
Iraq has a GDP per capita of $5,410 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
Life
be 63.6% less likely to die during childbirth
In Iraq, approximately 66.0 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 16.6% more likely to be literate
In Iraq, the literacy rate is 84.1% as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 98.0% as of 2021.
be 54.7% less likely to die during infancy
In Iraq, approximately 20.1 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 60.9% fewer children
In Iraq, there are approximately 25.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Costa Rica, there are 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 24.2% more on healthcare
Iraq spends 5.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 22.2 times more coastline
Iraq has a total of 58 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Safety
be 27.9% less likely to die in a road accident
In Iraq, road accidents kill 21.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 32.1% more home broadband
Iraq has 17.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
live with 90.1% less strain on fresh water
Iraq withdraws 60% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
use 65.7% more electricity
Iraq uses 1,377 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 82.8% less likely to die from air pollution
In Iraq, air pollution causes 87.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 68.5% less CO2
Iraq emits 5.2 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: Iraq vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Iraq? See an in-depth size comparison.