Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Jamaica, you would:
Health
be 71.4% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Jamaica, 1.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Costa Rica, that number is 0.4% of people as of 2020.
live 3.9 years longer
In Jamaica, the average life expectancy is 76 years (74 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2022. In Costa Rica, that number is 80 years (77 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2022.
Economy
make 2.3 times more money
Jamaica has a GDP per capita of $8,700 as of 2020, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,700 as of 2020.
pay a 40.0% lower top tax rate
Jamaica has a top tax rate of 25.0% as of 2016. In Costa Rica, the top tax rate is 15.0% as of 2016.
be 22.8% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Jamaica, 17.1% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Costa Rica, however, that number is 21.0% as of 2019.
Life
be 66.2% less likely to die during childbirth
In Jamaica, approximately 80.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Costa Rica, 27.0 women do as of 2017.
be 10.4% more likely to be literate
In Jamaica, the literacy rate is 88.7% as of 2015. In Costa Rica, it is 97.9% as of 2018.
be 24.9% less likely to die during infancy
In Jamaica, approximately 11.2 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Costa Rica, on the other hand, 8.4 children do as of 2022.
have 10.2% fewer children
In Jamaica, there are approximately 15.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Costa Rica, there are 14.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 47.3% more likely to have internet access
In Jamaica, approximately 55.0% of the population has internet access as of 2019. In Costa Rica, about 81.0% do as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 24.1% more on education
Jamaica spends 5.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Costa Rica spends 6.7% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 19.7% more on healthcare
Jamaica spends 6.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In Costa Rica, that number is 7.3% of GDP as of 2019.
Geography
see 26.2% more coastline
Jamaica has a total of 1,022 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Directorate General of Taxation of Costa Rica, Tax Admministration of Jamaica.
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Jamaica? See an in-depth size comparison.