Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Qatar, you would:
Health
be 22.2% less likely to be obese
In Qatar, 42.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
live 1.5 years less
In Qatar, the average life expectancy is 83 years (82 years for men, 83 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 33.5% less spent on your healthcare
Qatar spends $2,901 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 11.1% fewer doctors per person
Qatar has 30.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
be 71.5% more likely to die by suicide
Qatar has a suicide rate of 4.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 52.6 times more likely to be unemployed
In Qatar, 0.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
make 72.5% less money
Qatar has a GDP per capita of $72,525 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
Life
be 6.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Qatar, approximately 4.0 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 89.6% more likely to die during infancy
In Qatar, approximately 4.8 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 11.1% less likely to have internet access
In Qatar, approximately 98.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Costa Rica, about 87.2% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 64.4% more on education
Qatar spends 3.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Costa Rica spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 2.7 times more on healthcare
Qatar spends 2.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 2.3 times more coastline
Qatar has a total of 563 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Safety
be 253.6 times more likely to be murdered
Qatar has a homicide rate of 0.1 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Costa Rica, that number is 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 2.1 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Qatar, road accidents kill 7.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 97.0% more home broadband
Qatar has 11.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
live with 98.6% less strain on fresh water
Qatar withdraws 431% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
use 88.6% less electricity
Qatar uses 19,963 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 83.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Qatar, air pollution causes 91.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 96.6% less CO2
Qatar emits 47.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Qatar vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Qatar? See an in-depth size comparison.