Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Lebanon, you would:
Health
live 3.1 years longer
In Lebanon, the average life expectancy is 78 years (76 years for men, 80 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 3.0 times more spent on your healthcare
Lebanon spends $644 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 11.0% more access to essential health services
Lebanon scores 73 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Costa Rica scores 81 as of 2021.
be 11.5 times more likely to die by suicide
Lebanon has a suicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 37.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Lebanon, 11.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
make 4.5 times more money
Lebanon has a GDP per capita of $4,473 as of 2024, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
Life
be 40.5% less likely to die during infancy
In Lebanon, approximately 15.3 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.
be 60.0% more likely to die during childbirth
In Lebanon, approximately 15.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Costa Rica, 24.0 women do as of 2023.
have 37.4% fewer children
In Lebanon, there are approximately 16.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Costa Rica, there are 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 4.4 times more on education
Lebanon spends 1.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Costa Rica spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 23.3% more on healthcare
Lebanon spends 5.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 5.7 times more coastline
Lebanon has a total of 225 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Safety
be 7.9 times more likely to be murdered
Lebanon has a homicide rate of 2.2 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Costa Rica, that number is 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 59.8% more likely to die in a road accident
In Lebanon, road accidents kill 9.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 3.2 times more home broadband
Lebanon has 7.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
live with 90.0% less strain on fresh water
Lebanon withdraws 59% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
use 2.3 times more electricity
Lebanon uses 975 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 74.6% less likely to die from air pollution
In Lebanon, air pollution causes 59.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 14.2% less CO2
Lebanon emits 1.9 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), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Lebanon vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Lebanon? See an in-depth size comparison.