Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Philippines, you would:
Health
live 11.0 years longer
In Philippines, the average life expectancy is 70 years (67 years for men, 73 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 3.4 times more spent on your healthcare
Philippines spends $560 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 3.4 times more doctors per person
Philippines has 7.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
have 39.7% more access to essential health services
Philippines scores 58 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Costa Rica scores 81 as of 2021.
be 3.4 times more likely to be obese
In Philippines, 9.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
be 2.3 times more likely to die by suicide
Philippines has a suicide rate of 3.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 4.8 times more money
Philippines has a GDP per capita of $4,171 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
be 3.1 times more likely to be unemployed
In Philippines, 2.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
be 76.3% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Philippines, 9.7% live below the poverty line as of 2025. In Costa Rica, however, that number is 17.1% as of 2025.
Life
be 71.4% less likely to die during childbirth
In Philippines, approximately 84.0 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 58.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Philippines, approximately 21.7 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 37.1% fewer children
In Philippines, there are approximately 15.9 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 29.6% more likely to have internet access
In Philippines, approximately 67.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Costa Rica, about 87.2% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 33.8% more on education
Philippines spends 4.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2025. Costa Rica spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 34.7% more on healthcare
Philippines spends 5.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 96.4% less coastline
Philippines has a total of 36,289 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Safety
be 4.1 times more likely to be murdered
Philippines has a homicide rate of 4.3 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 59.8% more likely to die in a road accident
In Philippines, road accidents kill 9.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 3.3 times more home broadband
Philippines has 7.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
live with 78.9% less strain on fresh water
Philippines withdraws 28% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
use 2.5 times more electricity
Philippines uses 925 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 83.7% less likely to die from air pollution
In Philippines, air pollution causes 92.0 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: Philippines vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Philippines? See an in-depth size comparison.