Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of North Korea, you would:
Health
live 7.3 years longer
In North Korea, the average life expectancy is 74 years (72 years for men, 76 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.
have 19.1% more access to essential health services
North Korea scores 68 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Costa Rica scores 81 as of 2021.
be 13.4% less likely to die by suicide
North Korea has a suicide rate of 9.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.7 times more likely to be obese
In North Korea, 11.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 93.2% more likely to be unemployed
In North Korea, 3.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
Life
be 64.2% less likely to die during childbirth
In North Korea, approximately 67.0 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 31.6% less likely to die during infancy
In North Korea, approximately 13.3 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 22.3% fewer children
In North Korea, there are approximately 12.9 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 73.9% more likely to have access to electricity
In North Korea, approximately 58% of people have electricity access (36% in urban areas, and 11% 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.
Geography
see 48.3% less coastline
North Korea has a total of 2,495 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Infrastructure
live with 78.8% less strain on fresh water
North Korea withdraws 28% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
use 2.9 times more electricity
North Korea uses 789 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 82.6% less likely to die from air pollution
In North Korea, air pollution causes 86.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 34.8% less CO2
North Korea emits 2.5 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), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: North Korea vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to North Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.