Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Japan, you would:
Health
be 53.8% less likely to die by suicide
Japan has a suicide rate of 17.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 3.0 years less
In Japan, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 87 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 5.5 times more likely to be obese
In Japan, 5.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
see 64.1% less spent on your healthcare
Japan spends $5,365 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
Economy
be 2.8 times more likely to be unemployed
In Japan, 2.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
make 44.5% less money
Japan has a GDP per capita of $35,951 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
Life
have 75.3% more children
In Japan, there are approximately 5.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Costa Rica, there are 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 8.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Japan, 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 5.1 times more likely to die during infancy
In Japan, approximately 1.8 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 36.0% less on healthcare
Japan spends 10.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 59.0% more on education
Japan spends 3.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Costa Rica spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
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.
Safety
be 77.2 times more likely to be murdered
Japan has a homicide rate of 0.2 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 5.7 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Japan, road accidents kill 2.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 84.0% less strain on fresh water
Japan withdraws 37% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
find 39.7% less home broadband
Japan has 38.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
use 69.7% less electricity
Japan uses 7,530 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
emit 79.2% less CO2
Japan emits 7.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.
be 25.0% more likely to die from air pollution
In Japan, air pollution causes 12.0 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: Japan vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Japan? See an in-depth size comparison.