Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Malawi, you would:
Health
be 90.3% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Malawi, 6.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 0.6% of people as of 2024.
live 13.4 years longer
In Malawi, the average life expectancy is 68 years (64 years for men, 71 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 15.4 times more spent on your healthcare
Malawi spends $125 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 49.8 times more doctors per person
Malawi has 0.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
have 68.8% more access to essential health services
Malawi scores 48 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Costa Rica scores 81 as of 2021.
be 4.1 times more likely to be obese
In Malawi, 8.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 63.8% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Malawi, 47.3% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Costa Rica, however, that number is 17.1% as of 2025.
make 29.7 times more money
Malawi has a GDP per capita of $672 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
be 34.9% more likely to be unemployed
In Malawi, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
Life
be 89.3% less likely to die during childbirth
In Malawi, approximately 225.0 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 45.6% more likely to be literate
In Malawi, the literacy rate is 67.3% as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 98.0% as of 2021.
be 76.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Malawi, approximately 38.0 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 67.9% fewer children
In Malawi, there are approximately 31.1 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 6.4 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Malawi, approximately 16% of people have electricity access (58% in urban areas, and 6% 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 4.6 times more likely to have internet access
In Malawi, approximately 19.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Costa Rica, about 87.2% do as of 2024.
be 36.6% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Malawi, approximately 73% 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 93.1% more on education
Malawi spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Costa Rica spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 23.3% less likely to die in a road accident
In Malawi, road accidents kill 20.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 258.8 times more home broadband
Malawi has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
live with 66.4% less strain on fresh water
Malawi withdraws 18% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
Environment
be 65.1% less likely to die from air pollution
In Malawi, air pollution causes 43.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 7.4 times more CO2
Malawi emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Malawi vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Malawi? See an in-depth size comparison.