Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Peru, you would:
Health
live 3.1 years longer
In Peru, the average life expectancy is 78 years (76 years for men, 80 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 2.0 times more spent on your healthcare
Peru spends $956 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 59.2% more doctors per person
Peru has 16.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
have 14.1% more access to essential health services
Peru scores 71 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Costa Rica scores 81 as of 2021.
be 12.2% more likely to be obese
In Peru, 29.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
be 5.2 times more likely to die by suicide
Peru has a suicide rate of 1.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 33.5% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Peru, 25.7% live below the poverty line as of 2025. In Costa Rica, however, that number is 17.1% as of 2025.
make 2.1 times more money
Peru has a GDP per capita of $9,684 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
be 33.6% more likely to be unemployed
In Peru, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
Life
be 52.9% less likely to die during childbirth
In Peru, approximately 51.0 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 17.3% less likely to die during infancy
In Peru, approximately 11.0 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.
have 36.6% fewer children
In Peru, there are approximately 15.8 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 21.8% more on education
Peru spends 4.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Costa Rica spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 21.8% more on healthcare
Peru spends 5.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 46.6% less coastline
Peru has a total of 2,414 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Safety
be 2.1 times more likely to be murdered
Peru has a homicide rate of 8.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, that number is 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 22.0% more likely to die in a road accident
In Peru, road accidents kill 12.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 99.4% more home broadband
Peru has 11.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
use 43.1% more electricity
Peru uses 1,595 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
live with 21.7% more strain on fresh water
Peru withdraws 5% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
Environment
be 42.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In Peru, air pollution causes 26.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 19.3% less CO2
Peru emits 2.0 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: Peru vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Peru? See an in-depth size comparison.