Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Macedonia, you would:
Health
live 4.4 years longer
In Macedonia, the average life expectancy is 77 years (74 years for men, 79 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 21.9% more likely to be obese
In Macedonia, 26.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
be 39.4% more likely to die by suicide
Macedonia has a suicide rate of 5.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 44.2% less likely to be unemployed
In Macedonia, 12.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
be 21.9% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Macedonia, 21.9% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Costa Rica, however, that number is 17.1% as of 2025.
make 90.4% more money
Macedonia has a GDP per capita of $10,490 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
Life
have 13.5% more children
In Macedonia, there are approximately 8.8 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 Macedonia, 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 3.6 times more likely to die during infancy
In Macedonia, approximately 2.5 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.
Safety
be 11.6 times more likely to be murdered
Macedonia has a homicide rate of 1.5 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 2.7 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Macedonia, road accidents kill 5.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 88.8% less strain on fresh water
Macedonia withdraws 53% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
find 22.1% less home broadband
Macedonia has 29.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
use 31.3% less electricity
Macedonia uses 3,320 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 75.8% less likely to die from air pollution
In Macedonia, air pollution causes 62.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 59.2% less CO2
Macedonia emits 4.0 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). How we calculate this
Compare further: Macedonia vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Macedonia? See an in-depth size comparison.