Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Nicaragua, you would:
Health
live 4.9 years longer
In Nicaragua, the average life expectancy is 75 years (73 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2022. In Costa Rica, that number is 80 years (77 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2022.
Economy
make 3.7 times more money
Nicaragua has a GDP per capita of $5,300 as of 2020, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,700 as of 2020.
be 15.7% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Nicaragua, 24.9% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Costa Rica, however, that number is 21.0% as of 2019.
pay a 50.0% lower top tax rate
Nicaragua has a top tax rate of 30.0% as of 2016. In Costa Rica, the top tax rate is 15.0% as of 2016.
be 26.6% more likely to be unemployed
In Nicaragua, 6.4% of adults are unemployed as of 2017. In Costa Rica, that number is 8.1% as of 2017.
Life
be 86.4% less likely to die during childbirth
In Nicaragua, approximately 198.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Costa Rica, 27.0 women do as of 2017.
be 18.5% more likely to be literate
In Nicaragua, the literacy rate is 82.6% as of 2015. In Costa Rica, it is 97.9% as of 2018.
be 56.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Nicaragua, approximately 19.1 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Costa Rica, on the other hand, 8.4 children do as of 2022.
have 13.6% fewer children
In Nicaragua, there are approximately 16.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Costa Rica, there are 14.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 80.0% more likely to have internet access
In Nicaragua, approximately 45.0% of the population has internet access as of 2020. In Costa Rica, about 81.0% do as of 2020.
be 20.2% more likely to have access to improved drinking water
In Nicaragua, approximately 83% of people have improved drinking water access (98% in urban areas, and 63% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Costa Rica, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 13.1% less on healthcare
Nicaragua spends 8.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In Costa Rica, that number is 7.3% of GDP as of 2019.
spend 97.1% more on education
Nicaragua spends 3.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2019. Costa Rica spends 6.7% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
Geography
see 41.8% more coastline
Nicaragua has a total of 910 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: General Directorate of Revenues, The World Factbook, Directorate General of Taxation of Costa Rica.
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Nicaragua? See an in-depth size comparison.