Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Norway, you would:
Health
be 38.9% less likely to die by suicide
Norway has a suicide rate of 13.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 2.2 years less
In Norway, the average life expectancy is 83 years (82 years for men, 85 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 62.0% more likely to be obese
In Norway, 20.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
see 79.8% less spent on your healthcare
Norway spends $9,523 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 46.0% fewer doctors per person
Norway has 49.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
Economy
be 47.4% more likely to be unemployed
In Norway, 4.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
make 78.9% less money
Norway has a GDP per capita of $94,594 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
Life
be 24.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Norway, approximately 1.0 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 4.5 times more likely to die during infancy
In Norway, approximately 2.0 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 11.9% less likely to have internet access
In Norway, approximately 99.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Costa Rica, about 87.2% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 27.1% less on healthcare
Norway spends 9.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 94.9% less coastline
Norway has a total of 25,148 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Safety
be 24.7 times more likely to be murdered
Norway 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 10.3 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Norway, road accidents kill 1.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 48.4% less home broadband
Norway has 45.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
live with 2.9 times more strain on fresh water
Norway withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
use 90.4% less electricity
Norway uses 23,673 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
emit 77.3% less CO2
Norway emits 7.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.
be 87.5% more likely to die from air pollution
In Norway, air pollution causes 8.0 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: Norway vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Norway? See an in-depth size comparison.