Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Netherlands, you would:
Health
be 29.9% less likely to die by suicide
Netherlands has a suicide rate of 11.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 1.0 years less
In Netherlands, the average life expectancy is 82 years (81 years for men, 83 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 2.2 times more likely to be obese
In Netherlands, 14.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
see 76.5% less spent on your healthcare
Netherlands spends $8,195 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 30.7% fewer doctors per person
Netherlands has 38.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
Economy
be 76.7% more likely to be unemployed
In Netherlands, 3.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
make 72.9% less money
Netherlands has a GDP per capita of $73,684 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
Life
be 6.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Netherlands, approximately 4.0 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 2.7 times more likely to die during infancy
In Netherlands, approximately 3.4 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.
Basic Needs
be 10.1% less likely to have internet access
In Netherlands, approximately 97.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Costa Rica, about 87.2% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 31.4% less on healthcare
Netherlands spends 10.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 2.9 times more coastline
Netherlands has a total of 451 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Safety
be 25.7 times more likely to be murdered
Netherlands has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 4.6 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Netherlands, road accidents kill 3.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 64.7% less strain on fresh water
Netherlands withdraws 17% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
find 45.8% less home broadband
Netherlands has 43.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
use 64.3% less electricity
Netherlands uses 6,386 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
emit 75.3% less CO2
Netherlands emits 6.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.
be 15.4% more likely to die from air pollution
In Netherlands, air pollution causes 13.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Netherlands vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Netherlands? See an in-depth size comparison.