Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Mongolia, you would:
Health
live 8.6 years longer
In Mongolia, the average life expectancy is 72 years (68 years for men, 77 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 73.8% more spent on your healthcare
Mongolia spends $1,109 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 24.6% more access to essential health services
Mongolia scores 65 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Costa Rica scores 81 as of 2021.
be 56.4% less likely to die by suicide
Mongolia has a suicide rate of 18.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 30.3% more likely to be obese
In Mongolia, 25.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
have 34.9% fewer doctors per person
Mongolia has 41.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
Economy
be 36.9% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Mongolia, 27.1% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Costa Rica, however, that number is 17.1% as of 2025.
make 2.8 times more money
Mongolia has a GDP per capita of $7,108 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
be 30.8% more likely to be unemployed
In Mongolia, 5.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
Life
be 41.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In Mongolia, approximately 41.0 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 18.7% less likely to die during infancy
In Mongolia, approximately 11.2 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 40.9% fewer children
In Mongolia, there are approximately 16.9 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 15.9% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Mongolia, approximately 86% of people have access to drinking water (96% in urban areas, and 64% 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 13.2% more on healthcare
Mongolia spends 6.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 3.0 times more likely to be murdered
Mongolia has a homicide rate of 5.9 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 25.0% more likely to die in a road accident
In Mongolia, road accidents kill 12.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 47.6% more home broadband
Mongolia has 15.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
live with 72.9% more strain on fresh water
Mongolia withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
use 16.3% less electricity
Mongolia uses 2,728 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 87.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Mongolia, air pollution causes 120.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 79.2% less CO2
Mongolia emits 7.8 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). How we calculate this
Compare further: Mongolia vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Mongolia? See an in-depth size comparison.