Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Malta, you would:
Health
live 2.0 years less
In Malta, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 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 66.2% less spent on your healthcare
Malta spends $5,706 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 40.5% fewer doctors per person
Malta has 45.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
be 24.6% more likely to die by suicide
Malta has a suicide rate of 6.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.4 times more likely to be unemployed
In Malta, 2.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
make 58.3% less money
Malta has a GDP per capita of $47,907 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
Life
have 29.7% more children
In Malta, there are approximately 7.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Costa Rica, there are 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 3.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Malta, approximately 8.0 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 93.6% more likely to die during infancy
In Malta, approximately 4.7 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.
Expenditures
spend 22.3% less on healthcare
Malta spends 8.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 12.7% more on education
Malta spends 4.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Costa Rica spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 6.6 times more coastline
Malta has a total of 197 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Safety
be 31.7 times more likely to be murdered
Malta has a homicide rate of 0.6 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 8.2 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Malta, road accidents kill 1.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 91.9% less strain on fresh water
Malta withdraws 73% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
find 47.7% less home broadband
Malta has 44.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
use 54.5% less electricity
Malta uses 5,013 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 28.6% less likely to die from air pollution
In Malta, air pollution causes 21.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 48.7% less CO2
Malta emits 3.2 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. How we calculate this
Compare further: Malta vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Malta? See an in-depth size comparison.