Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Namibia, you would:
Health
be 93.3% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Namibia, 9.0% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 0.6% of people as of 2024.
live 13.5 years longer
In Namibia, the average life expectancy is 68 years (63 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 80.4% more spent on your healthcare
Namibia spends $1,068 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 4.9 times more doctors per person
Namibia has 5.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
have 28.6% more access to essential health services
Namibia scores 63 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Costa Rica scores 81 as of 2021.
be 79.1% more likely to be obese
In Namibia, 18.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 64.5% less likely to be unemployed
In Namibia, 19.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
make 4.1 times more money
Namibia has a GDP per capita of $4,876 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
Life
be 82.7% less likely to die during childbirth
In Namibia, approximately 139.0 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 11.8% more likely to be literate
In Namibia, the literacy rate is 87.6% as of 2023. In Costa Rica, it is 98.0% as of 2021.
be 75.0% less likely to die during infancy
In Namibia, approximately 36.4 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 61.4% fewer children
In Namibia, there are approximately 25.9 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 76.4% more likely to have access to electricity
In Namibia, approximately 57% of people have electricity access (75% in urban areas, and 34% 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 34.4% more likely to have internet access
In Namibia, approximately 64.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Costa Rica, about 87.2% do as of 2024.
be 15.4% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Namibia, approximately 87% of people have access to drinking water (96% in urban areas, and 74% 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 41.5% less on education
Namibia spends 9.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Costa Rica spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 27.5% less on healthcare
Namibia spends 9.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 17.9% less coastline
Namibia has a total of 1,572 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Safety
be 29.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Namibia, road accidents kill 22.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 58.3% more likely to be murdered
Namibia has a homicide rate of 11.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, that number is 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 8.2 times more home broadband
Namibia has 2.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
use 85.2% more electricity
Namibia uses 1,232 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
live with 19.0 times more strain on fresh water
Namibia withdraws 0% 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 Namibia, air pollution causes 43.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 35.8% more CO2
Namibia emits 1.2 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 (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Namibia vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Namibia? See an in-depth size comparison.