Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Latvia, you would:
Health
live 4.6 years longer
In Latvia, the average life expectancy is 76 years (72 years for men, 82 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 47.0% less likely to die by suicide
Latvia has a suicide rate of 15.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 46.6% more likely to be obese
In Latvia, 22.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
see 36.5% less spent on your healthcare
Latvia spends $3,034 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 20.9% fewer doctors per person
Latvia has 34.0 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
Economy
be 24.0% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Latvia, 22.5% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Costa Rica, however, that number is 17.1% as of 2025.
make 24.1% less money
Latvia has a GDP per capita of $26,312 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
Life
have 44.8% more children
In Latvia, there are approximately 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Costa Rica, there are 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 26.3% more likely to die during childbirth
In Latvia, approximately 19.0 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 4.1 times more likely to die during infancy
In Latvia, approximately 2.2 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 22.9% more on education
Latvia spends 4.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Costa Rica spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 2.6 times more coastline
Latvia has a total of 498 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Safety
be 7.1 times more likely to be murdered
Latvia has a homicide rate of 2.5 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 58.2% more likely to die in a road accident
In Latvia, road accidents kill 9.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 5.8 times more strain on fresh water
Latvia withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
use 39.4% less electricity
Latvia uses 3,768 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 62.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Latvia, air pollution causes 40.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 55.3% less CO2
Latvia emits 3.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Latvia vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Latvia? See an in-depth size comparison.