Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Rwanda, you would:
Health
be 70.0% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Rwanda, 2.0% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 0.6% of people as of 2024.
live 13.0 years longer
In Rwanda, the average life expectancy is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 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 10.9 times more spent on your healthcare
Rwanda spends $177 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 29.9 times more doctors per person
Rwanda has 0.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
have 65.3% more access to essential health services
Rwanda scores 49 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Costa Rica scores 81 as of 2021.
be 5.9 times more likely to be obese
In Rwanda, 5.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 39.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Rwanda, 11.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
be 37.6% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Rwanda, 27.4% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Costa Rica, however, that number is 17.1% as of 2025.
make 17.8 times more money
Rwanda has a GDP per capita of $1,124 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
Life
be 89.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In Rwanda, approximately 229.0 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 24.4% more likely to be literate
In Rwanda, the literacy rate is 78.8% as of 2022. In Costa Rica, it is 98.0% as of 2021.
be 69.0% less likely to die during infancy
In Rwanda, approximately 29.4 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 64.4% fewer children
In Rwanda, there are approximately 28.1 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 56.5% more likely to have access to electricity
In Rwanda, approximately 64% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 58% 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 2.7 times more likely to have internet access
In Rwanda, approximately 31.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Costa Rica, about 87.2% do as of 2024.
be 62.6% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Rwanda, approximately 61% of people have access to drinking water (88% in urban areas, and 56% in rural areas) as of 2024. 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 15.2% more on education
Rwanda spends 4.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Costa Rica spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 33.9% more on healthcare
Rwanda spends 5.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 4.9 times more likely to be murdered
Rwanda has a homicide rate of 3.6 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Costa Rica, that number is 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 33.6% more likely to die in a road accident
In Rwanda, road accidents kill 11.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 38.8 times more home broadband
Rwanda has 0.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
live with 70.9% less strain on fresh water
Rwanda withdraws 20% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
use 29.8 times more electricity
Rwanda uses 77 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 75.8% less likely to die from air pollution
In Rwanda, air pollution causes 62.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 10.2 times more CO2
Rwanda emits 0.2 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 (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Rwanda vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Rwanda? See an in-depth size comparison.