Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Republic of the Congo, you would:
Health
be 81.2% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Republic of the Congo, 3.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 0.6% of people as of 2024.
live 15.0 years longer
In Republic of the Congo, the average life expectancy is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 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 9.2 times more spent on your healthcare
Republic of the Congo spends $209 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 15.5 times more doctors per person
Republic of the Congo has 1.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
have 97.6% more access to essential health services
Republic of the Congo scores 41 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Costa Rica scores 81 as of 2021.
be 2.7 times more likely to be obese
In Republic of the Congo, 12.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
be 20.1% more likely to die by suicide
Republic of the Congo has a suicide rate of 6.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 65.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Republic of the Congo, 19.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
make 7.9 times more money
Republic of the Congo has a GDP per capita of $2,515 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
Life
be 90.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In Republic of the Congo, approximately 241.0 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 21.6% more likely to be literate
In Republic of the Congo, the literacy rate is 80.6% as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 98.0% as of 2021.
be 66.3% less likely to die during infancy
In Republic of the Congo, approximately 27.0 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 67.2% fewer children
In Republic of the Congo, there are approximately 30.4 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 94.9% more likely to have access to electricity
In Republic of the Congo, approximately 51% of people have electricity access (69% in urban areas, and 11% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 84.5% more likely to have internet access
In Republic of the Congo, approximately 47.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Costa Rica, about 87.2% do as of 2024.
be 35.8% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Republic of the Congo, approximately 73% of people have access to drinking water (87% in urban areas, and 44% in rural areas) as of 2021. 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 59.0% more on education
Republic of the Congo spends 3.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Costa Rica spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 2.1 times more on healthcare
Republic of the Congo spends 3.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 7.6 times more coastline
Republic of the Congo has a total of 169 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Safety
be 84.5% more likely to die in a road accident
In Republic of the Congo, road accidents kill 8.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 18.3 times more home broadband
Republic of the Congo has 1.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
use 6.7 times more electricity
Republic of the Congo uses 338 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
live with 196.0 times more strain on fresh water
Republic of the Congo withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
Environment
be 77.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In Republic of the Congo, air pollution causes 66.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 21.6% more CO2
Republic of the Congo emits 1.3 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), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Republic of the Congo vs. Costa Rica
MORE COMPARISONS
Costa Rica: At a glance
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