Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Romania, you would:
Health
live 4.5 years longer
In Romania, the average life expectancy is 76 years (73 years for men, 80 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 16.2% less likely to die by suicide
Romania has a suicide rate of 9.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
see 26.3% less spent on your healthcare
Romania spends $2,614 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 25.9% fewer doctors per person
Romania has 36.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
Economy
be 14.2% more likely to be unemployed
In Romania, 6.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
make 11.4% less money
Romania has a GDP per capita of $22,538 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
Life
have 33.2% more children
In Romania, there are approximately 7.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Costa Rica, there are 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 100.0% more likely to die during childbirth
In Romania, approximately 12.0 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 51.7% more likely to die during infancy
In Romania, approximately 6.0 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.
Expenditures
spend 61.9% more on education
Romania spends 3.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Costa Rica spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 20.3% more on healthcare
Romania spends 5.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 5.7 times more coastline
Romania has a total of 225 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Safety
be 16.0 times more likely to be murdered
Romania has a homicide rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 61.5% more likely to die in a road accident
In Romania, road accidents kill 9.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 22.9% less strain on fresh water
Romania withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
find 34.9% less home broadband
Romania has 35.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
use 11.7% less electricity
Romania uses 2,585 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 67.4% less likely to die from air pollution
In Romania, air pollution causes 46.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 56.2% less CO2
Romania emits 3.7 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. How we calculate this
Compare further: Romania vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Romania? See an in-depth size comparison.