Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Kuwait, you would:
Health
be 19.1% less likely to be obese
In Kuwait, 40.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
have 18.2% more doctors per person
Kuwait has 22.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
live 3.6 years less
In Kuwait, the average life expectancy is 85 years (84 years for men, 85 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.
see 24.9% less spent on your healthcare
Kuwait spends $2,567 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
be 3.5 times more likely to die by suicide
Kuwait has a suicide rate of 2.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 3.1 times more likely to be unemployed
In Kuwait, 2.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
make 38.2% less money
Kuwait has a GDP per capita of $32,312 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
Life
be 3.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Kuwait, approximately 8.0 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 30.0% more likely to die during infancy
In Kuwait, approximately 7.0 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.
Basic Needs
be 12.8% less likely to have internet access
In Kuwait, approximately 100.0% of the population has internet access as of 2025. In Costa Rica, about 87.2% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 17.5% less on education
Kuwait spends 6.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Costa Rica spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 38.5% more on healthcare
Kuwait spends 5.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 2.6 times more coastline
Kuwait has a total of 499 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Safety
be 71.0 times more likely to be murdered
Kuwait has a homicide rate of 0.2 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Costa Rica, that number is 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 68.5% more likely to die in a road accident
In Kuwait, road accidents kill 9.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 23.1 times more home broadband
Kuwait has 1.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
live with 99.8% less strain on fresh water
Kuwait withdraws 3850% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
use 86.2% less electricity
Kuwait uses 16,496 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 66.7% less likely to die from air pollution
In Kuwait, air pollution causes 45.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 93.1% less CO2
Kuwait emits 23.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Kuwait vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Kuwait? See an in-depth size comparison.