Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Italy, you would:
Health
live 3.0 years less
In Italy, the average life expectancy is 84 years (82 years for men, 86 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 2.3 times more likely to be obese
In Italy, 14.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
see 61.4% less spent on your healthcare
Italy spends $4,993 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 35.9% fewer doctors per person
Italy has 41.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
be 15.3% more likely to die by suicide
Italy has a suicide rate of 7.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 53.9% less money
Italy has a GDP per capita of $43,309 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
Life
have 58.6% more children
In Italy, there are approximately 6.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Costa Rica, there are 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 4.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Italy, approximately 6.0 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 4.0 times more likely to die during infancy
In Italy, approximately 2.3 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.
Expenditures
spend 18.6% less on healthcare
Italy spends 8.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 30.5% more on education
Italy spends 4.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Costa Rica spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 83.0% less coastline
Italy has a total of 7,600 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Safety
be 31.1 times more likely to be murdered
Italy has a homicide rate of 0.6 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 3.1 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Italy, road accidents kill 5.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 80.2% less strain on fresh water
Italy withdraws 30% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
find 26.7% less home broadband
Italy has 31.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
use 55.6% less electricity
Italy uses 5,137 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
emit 67.9% less CO2
Italy emits 5.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Italy vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Italy? See an in-depth size comparison.