Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Saint Lucia, you would:
Health
live 8.2 years longer
In Saint Lucia, the average life expectancy is 73 years (69 years for men, 76 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 56.9% more spent on your healthcare
Saint Lucia spends $1,228 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 36.5% fewer doctors per person
Saint Lucia has 42.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
be 52.9% more likely to die by suicide
Saint Lucia has a suicide rate of 5.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 27.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Saint Lucia, 9.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
make 35.4% more money
Saint Lucia has a GDP per capita of $14,746 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
Life
be 45.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In Saint Lucia, approximately 44.0 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 42.4% less likely to die during infancy
In Saint Lucia, approximately 15.8 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.
have 10.9% fewer children
In Saint Lucia, there are approximately 11.2 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 27.8% more likely to have internet access
In Saint Lucia, approximately 68.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Costa Rica, about 87.2% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 37.9% more on education
Saint Lucia spends 3.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Costa Rica spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 45.2% more on healthcare
Saint Lucia spends 4.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 8.2 times more coastline
Saint Lucia has a total of 158 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Safety
be 54.5% less likely to be murdered
Saint Lucia has a homicide rate of 39.0 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 74.2% more likely to die in a road accident
In Saint Lucia, road accidents kill 8.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 71.6% more home broadband
Saint Lucia has 13.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
live with 58.9% less strain on fresh water
Saint Lucia withdraws 14% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
Environment
be 25.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Saint Lucia, air pollution causes 20.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Saint Lucia vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Saint Lucia? See an in-depth size comparison.