Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Liberia, you would:
Health
live 18.7 years longer
In Liberia, the average life expectancy is 62 years (61 years for men, 64 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 8.3 times more spent on your healthcare
Liberia spends $233 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 15.1 times more doctors per person
Liberia has 1.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
have 80.0% more access to essential health services
Liberia scores 45 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Costa Rica scores 81 as of 2021.
be 83.9% more likely to be obese
In Liberia, 17.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
be 35.0% more likely to die by suicide
Liberia has a suicide rate of 6.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 21.8 times more money
Liberia has a GDP per capita of $915 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
be 2.4 times more likely to be unemployed
In Liberia, 2.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
Life
be 96.2% less likely to die during childbirth
In Liberia, approximately 628.0 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 85.6% less likely to die during infancy
In Liberia, approximately 63.2 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.
have 67.3% fewer children
In Liberia, there are approximately 30.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Costa Rica, there are 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 3.1 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Liberia, approximately 32% of people have electricity access (53% in urban areas, and 9% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 2.7 times more likely to have internet access
In Liberia, approximately 32.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Costa Rica, about 87.2% do as of 2024.
be 26.6% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Liberia, approximately 79% of people have access to drinking water (86% in urban areas, and 70% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 47.2% less on healthcare
Liberia spends 13.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 2.3 times more on education
Liberia spends 2.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Costa Rica spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 2.2 times more coastline
Liberia has a total of 579 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Infrastructure
find 86.3 times more home broadband
Liberia has 0.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
live with 22.6 times more strain on fresh water
Liberia withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
Environment
be 75.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Liberia, air pollution causes 60.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 10.9 times more CO2
Liberia emits 0.1 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: Liberia vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Liberia? See an in-depth size comparison.