Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Portugal, you would:
Health
be 30.0% less likely to die by suicide
Portugal has a suicide rate of 11.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 1.4 years less
In Portugal, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 85 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 81.0% more likely to be obese
In Portugal, 18.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
see 60.9% less spent on your healthcare
Portugal spends $4,928 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 54.1% fewer doctors per person
Portugal has 58.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
Economy
be 11.0% more likely to be unemployed
In Portugal, 6.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
make 37.8% less money
Portugal has a GDP per capita of $32,082 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
Life
have 26.5% more children
In Portugal, there are approximately 7.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Costa Rica, there are 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 60.0% more likely to die during childbirth
In Portugal, approximately 15.0 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 3.4 times more likely to die during infancy
In Portugal, approximately 2.7 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.
Expenditures
spend 32.9% less on healthcare
Portugal spends 10.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 16.7% more on education
Portugal spends 4.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Costa Rica spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 28.1% less coastline
Portugal has a total of 1,793 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Safety
be 24.7 times more likely to be murdered
Portugal has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Costa Rica, that number is 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 2.2 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Portugal, road accidents kill 7.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 52.3% less strain on fresh water
Portugal withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
find 48.5% less home broadband
Portugal has 45.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
use 56.9% less electricity
Portugal uses 5,294 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
emit 50.9% less CO2
Portugal emits 3.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.
be 50.0% more likely to die from air pollution
In Portugal, air pollution causes 10.0 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: Portugal vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Portugal? See an in-depth size comparison.