Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Madagascar, you would:
Health
live 17.2 years longer
In Madagascar, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 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 30.7 times more spent on your healthcare
Madagascar spends $63 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 15.6 times more doctors per person
Madagascar has 1.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
have 2.3 times more access to essential health services
Madagascar scores 35 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Costa Rica scores 81 as of 2021.
be 7.3 times more likely to be obese
In Madagascar, 4.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
be 32.3% more likely to die by suicide
Madagascar has a suicide rate of 6.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 33.3 times more money
Madagascar has a GDP per capita of $599 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
be 2.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In Madagascar, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
Life
be 94.6% less likely to die during childbirth
In Madagascar, approximately 445.0 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 31.2% more likely to be literate
In Madagascar, the literacy rate is 74.7% as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 98.0% as of 2021.
be 78.8% less likely to die during infancy
In Madagascar, approximately 43.0 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.
have 68.5% fewer children
In Madagascar, there are approximately 31.7 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 2.5 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Madagascar, approximately 39% of people have electricity access (76% in urban areas, and 15% 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 4.7 times more likely to have internet access
In Madagascar, approximately 18.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Costa Rica, about 87.2% do as of 2024.
be 80.4% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Madagascar, approximately 55% of people have access to drinking water (78% in urban areas, and 39% 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 74.1% more on education
Madagascar spends 3.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Costa Rica spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 2.0 times more on healthcare
Madagascar spends 3.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 73.3% less coastline
Madagascar has a total of 4,828 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Safety
be 31.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In Madagascar, road accidents kill 22.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 194.1 times more home broadband
Madagascar has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
live with 47.8% less strain on fresh water
Madagascar withdraws 11% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
use 28.5 times more electricity
Madagascar uses 80 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 74.1% less likely to die from air pollution
In Madagascar, air pollution causes 58.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 10.9 times more CO2
Madagascar 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), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Madagascar vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Madagascar? See an in-depth size comparison.