Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Russia, you would:
Health
live 7.6 years longer
In Russia, the average life expectancy is 73 years (68 years for men, 79 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 62.3% less likely to die by suicide
Russia has a suicide rate of 21.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 85.7% more likely to be obese
In Russia, 17.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
see 39.8% less spent on your healthcare
Russia spends $3,204 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 47.4% fewer doctors per person
Russia has 51.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
Economy
make 13.8% more money
Russia has a GDP per capita of $17,547 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
be 3.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In Russia, 2.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
be 2.4 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Russia, 7.2% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Costa Rica, however, that number is 17.1% as of 2025.
Life
have 18.9% more children
In Russia, there are approximately 8.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Costa Rica, there are 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.7 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Russia, approximately 9.0 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 2.2 times more likely to die during infancy
In Russia, approximately 4.1 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 27.6% more on education
Russia spends 4.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Costa Rica spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 96.6% less coastline
Russia has a total of 37,653 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Safety
be 2.6 times more likely to be murdered
Russia has a homicide rate of 6.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, that number is 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 46.2% more likely to die in a road accident
In Russia, road accidents kill 10.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 14.2% less home broadband
Russia has 27.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
live with 42.7% more strain on fresh water
Russia withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
use 68.7% less electricity
Russia uses 7,285 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 61.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Russia, air pollution causes 39.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 88.3% less CO2
Russia emits 14.0 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: Russia vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Russia? See an in-depth size comparison.