Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Poland, you would:
Health
live 2.6 years longer
In Poland, the average life expectancy is 78 years (75 years for men, 82 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 41.0% less likely to die by suicide
Poland has a suicide rate of 13.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 50.0% more likely to be obese
In Poland, 21.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
see 51.1% less spent on your healthcare
Poland spends $3,939 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 33.3% fewer doctors per person
Poland has 40.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
Economy
be 2.3 times more likely to be unemployed
In Poland, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
be 26.7% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Poland, 13.5% live below the poverty line as of 2025. In Costa Rica, however, that number is 17.1% as of 2025.
make 29.7% less money
Poland has a GDP per capita of $28,420 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
Life
have 44.8% more children
In Poland, there are approximately 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Costa Rica, there are 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 12.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Poland, approximately 2.0 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 2.5 times more likely to die during infancy
In Poland, approximately 3.6 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 10.8% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Poland, approximately 90% of people have access to drinking water (96% in urban areas, and 82% 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 14.8% less on healthcare
Poland spends 8.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 23.2% more on education
Poland spends 4.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Costa Rica spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 2.9 times more coastline
Poland has a total of 440 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Safety
be 22.2 times more likely to be murdered
Poland has a homicide rate of 0.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 2.4 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Poland, road accidents kill 6.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 81.9% less strain on fresh water
Poland withdraws 32% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
use 47.8% less electricity
Poland uses 4,370 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 63.4% less likely to die from air pollution
In Poland, air pollution causes 41.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 78.4% less CO2
Poland emits 7.5 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), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Poland vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Poland? See an in-depth size comparison.