Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Paraguay, you would:
Health
live 7.0 years longer
In Paraguay, the average life expectancy is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 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 31.2% more spent on your healthcare
Paraguay spends $1,469 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 12.5% more access to essential health services
Paraguay scores 72 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Costa Rica scores 81 as of 2021.
have 31.0% fewer doctors per person
Paraguay has 38.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
be 26.7% more likely to die by suicide
Paraguay has a suicide rate of 6.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 2.8 times more money
Paraguay has a GDP per capita of $7,027 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
be 42.5% more likely to be unemployed
In Paraguay, 4.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
Life
be 58.6% less likely to die during childbirth
In Paraguay, approximately 58.0 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 37.2% less likely to die during infancy
In Paraguay, approximately 14.5 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 49.4% fewer children
In Paraguay, there are approximately 19.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Costa Rica, there are 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 17.8% less on healthcare
Paraguay spends 8.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 50.4% more on education
Paraguay spends 3.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Costa Rica spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 26.2% less likely to die in a road accident
In Paraguay, road accidents kill 21.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.6 times more likely to be murdered
Paraguay has a homicide rate of 6.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 80.8% more home broadband
Paraguay has 12.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
live with 3.2 times more strain on fresh water
Paraguay withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
Environment
be 40.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Paraguay, air pollution causes 25.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 40.5% more CO2
Paraguay emits 1.2 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). How we calculate this
Compare further: Paraguay vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Paraguay? See an in-depth size comparison.