Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Japan, you would:
Health
live 5.2 years less
In Japan, the average life expectancy is 85 years (82 years for men, 88 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.
be 6.0 times more likely to be obese
In Japan, 4.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Costa Rica, that number is 25.7% of people as of 2016.
Economy
pay a 73.2% lower top tax rate
Japan has a top tax rate of 56.0% as of 2016. In Costa Rica, the top tax rate is 15.0% as of 2016.
make 52.4% less money
Japan has a GDP per capita of $41,400 as of 2019, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,700 as of 2020.
be 3.4 times more likely to be unemployed
In Japan, 2.4% of adults are unemployed as of 2019. In Costa Rica, that number is 8.1% as of 2017.
be 30.4% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Japan, 16.1% live below the poverty line as of 2013. In Costa Rica, however, that number is 21.0% as of 2019.
Life
have 2.1 times more children
In Japan, there are approximately 7.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Costa Rica, there are 14.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.
be 5.4 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Japan, approximately 5.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Costa Rica, 27.0 women do as of 2017.
be 4.4 times more likely to die during infancy
In Japan, approximately 1.9 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.
Basic Needs
be 10.0% less likely to have internet access
In Japan, approximately 90.0% of the population has internet access as of 2020. In Costa Rica, about 81.0% do as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 31.8% less on healthcare
Japan spends 10.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In Costa Rica, that number is 7.3% of GDP as of 2019.
spend 2.1 times more on education
Japan spends 3.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2017. Costa Rica spends 6.7% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
Geography
see 95.7% less coastline
Japan has a total of 29,751 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, National Tax Agency Japan.
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Japan? See an in-depth size comparison.