Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Nigeria, you would:
Health
be 50.0% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Nigeria, 1.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 0.6% of people as of 2024.
live 26.4 years longer
In Nigeria, the average life expectancy is 55 years (54 years for men, 55 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 7.4 times more spent on your healthcare
Nigeria spends $260 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 7.1 times more doctors per person
Nigeria has 3.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
have 2.1 times more access to essential health services
Nigeria scores 38 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Costa Rica scores 81 as of 2021.
be 2.4 times more likely to be obese
In Nigeria, 13.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
be 61.5% more likely to die by suicide
Nigeria has a suicide rate of 5.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 69.6% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Nigeria, 56.2% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Costa Rica, however, that number is 17.1% as of 2025.
make 16.3 times more money
Nigeria has a GDP per capita of $1,224 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
be 2.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In Nigeria, 3.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
Life
be 97.6% less likely to die during childbirth
In Nigeria, approximately 993.0 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 39.2% more likely to be literate
In Nigeria, the literacy rate is 70.4% as of 2024. In Costa Rica, it is 98.0% as of 2021.
be 87.0% less likely to die during infancy
In Nigeria, approximately 69.8 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 69.3% fewer children
In Nigeria, there are approximately 32.5 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 63.4% more likely to have access to electricity
In Nigeria, approximately 61% of people have electricity access (85% in urban areas, and 33% 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 2.1 times more likely to have internet access
In Nigeria, approximately 41.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Costa Rica, about 87.2% do as of 2024.
be 21.4% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Nigeria, approximately 82% of people have access to drinking water (95% in urban areas, and 67% 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 16.6 times more on education
Nigeria spends 0.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Costa Rica spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 64.0% more on healthcare
Nigeria spends 4.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 51.2% more coastline
Nigeria has a total of 853 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Safety
be 12.7% more likely to be murdered
Nigeria has a homicide rate of 15.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 291.1 times more home broadband
Nigeria has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
live with 39.2% less strain on fresh water
Nigeria withdraws 10% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
use 15.8 times more electricity
Nigeria uses 144 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 80.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Nigeria, air pollution causes 77.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.9 times more CO2
Nigeria emits 0.6 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: Nigeria vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Nigeria? See an in-depth size comparison.