Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Marshall Islands, you would:
Health
live 13.9 years longer
In Marshall Islands, the average life expectancy is 67 years (65 years for men, 69 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 22.1% less likely to be obese
In Marshall Islands, 42.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
see 2.2 times more spent on your healthcare
Marshall Islands spends $874 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 37.3% more access to essential health services
Marshall Islands scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Costa Rica scores 81 as of 2021.
Economy
make 2.4 times more money
Marshall Islands has a GDP per capita of $8,489 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
Life
be 84.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In Marshall Islands, approximately 155.0 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 59.9% less likely to die during infancy
In Marshall Islands, approximately 22.7 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.
have 50.3% fewer children
In Marshall Islands, there are approximately 20.1 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 32.2% more likely to have internet access
In Marshall Islands, approximately 65.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Costa Rica, about 87.2% do as of 2024.
be 14.2% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Marshall Islands, approximately 87% of people have access to drinking water (86% in urban areas, and 94% 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 31.0% less on education
Marshall Islands spends 7.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Costa Rica spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 48.8% less on healthcare
Marshall Islands spends 13.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 3.5 times more coastline
Marshall Islands has a total of 370 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Safety
be 30.3% more likely to die in a road accident
In Marshall Islands, road accidents kill 11.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 9.9 times more home broadband
Marshall Islands has 2.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Marshall Islands vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Marshall Islands? See an in-depth size comparison.