Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Mali, you would:
Health
live 20.3 years longer
In Mali, the average life expectancy is 61 years (59 years for men, 62 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 18.6 times more spent on your healthcare
Mali spends $104 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 14.3 times more doctors per person
Mali has 1.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
have 97.6% more access to essential health services
Mali scores 41 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Costa Rica scores 81 as of 2021.
be 2.5 times more likely to be obese
In Mali, 13.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
be 93.8% more likely to die by suicide
Mali has a suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 16.7 times more money
Mali has a GDP per capita of $1,193 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 Mali, 2.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
Life
be 93.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In Mali, approximately 367.0 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 2.8 times more likely to be literate
In Mali, the literacy rate is 35.6% as of 2024. In Costa Rica, it is 98.0% as of 2021.
be 80.8% less likely to die during infancy
In Mali, approximately 47.5 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.
have 74.7% fewer children
In Mali, there are approximately 39.5 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 83.5% more likely to have access to electricity
In Mali, approximately 54% of people have electricity access (92% in urban areas, and 23% 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 2.4 times more likely to have internet access
In Mali, approximately 36.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Costa Rica, about 87.2% do as of 2024.
be 15.6% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Mali, approximately 86% of people have access to drinking water (94% in urban areas, and 80% 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 27.0% more on education
Mali spends 4.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Costa Rica spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 80.3% more on healthcare
Mali spends 3.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 23.3% less likely to die in a road accident
In Mali, 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 30.2 times more home broadband
Mali has 0.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
live with 26.5% less strain on fresh water
Mali withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
Environment
be 76.9% less likely to die from air pollution
In Mali, air pollution causes 65.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 5.4 times more CO2
Mali emits 0.3 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 (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Mali vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Mali? See an in-depth size comparison.