Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Papua New Guinea, you would:
Health
be 60.0% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Papua New Guinea, 1.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 0.6% of people as of 2024.
live 14.7 years longer
In Papua New Guinea, the average life expectancy is 66 years (64 years for men, 69 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 14.5 times more spent on your healthcare
Papua New Guinea spends $133 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 44.0 times more doctors per person
Papua New Guinea has 0.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
have 2.7 times more access to essential health services
Papua New Guinea scores 30 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Costa Rica scores 81 as of 2021.
be 16.8% more likely to be obese
In Papua New Guinea, 28.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
be 4.4 times more likely to die by suicide
Papua New Guinea has a suicide rate of 1.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 6.6 times more money
Papua New Guinea has a GDP per capita of $3,020 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
be 2.7 times more likely to be unemployed
In Papua New Guinea, 2.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
Life
be 87.3% less likely to die during childbirth
In Papua New Guinea, approximately 189.0 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 12.6% more likely to be literate
In Papua New Guinea, the literacy rate is 87.0% as of 2022. In Costa Rica, it is 98.0% as of 2021.
be 70.9% less likely to die during infancy
In Papua New Guinea, approximately 31.3 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 58.9% fewer children
In Papua New Guinea, there are approximately 24.3 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 4.9 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Papua New Guinea, approximately 20% of people have electricity access (65% in urban areas, and 13% 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 4.6 times more likely to have internet access
In Papua New Guinea, approximately 18.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Costa Rica, about 87.2% do as of 2024.
be 87.3% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Papua New Guinea, approximately 53% of people have access to drinking water (84% in urban areas, and 48% 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 6.8 times more on education
Papua New Guinea spends 0.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Costa Rica spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 2.4 times more on healthcare
Papua New Guinea spends 2.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 75.0% less coastline
Papua New Guinea has a total of 5,152 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Infrastructure
find 101.3 times more home broadband
Papua New Guinea has 0.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
live with 45.2 times more strain on fresh water
Papua New Guinea withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
Environment
be 60.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Papua New Guinea, air pollution causes 38.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.1 times more CO2
Papua New Guinea emits 0.5 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), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Papua New Guinea vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Papua New Guinea? See an in-depth size comparison.