Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Saudi Arabia, you would:
Health
live 2.0 years longer
In Saudi Arabia, the average life expectancy is 79 years (77 years for men, 81 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 18.5% less likely to be obese
In Saudi Arabia, 40.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
see 44.5% less spent on your healthcare
Saudi Arabia spends $3,475 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 21.1% fewer doctors per person
Saudi Arabia has 34.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
be 8.5 times more likely to die by suicide
Saudi Arabia has a suicide rate of 0.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In Saudi Arabia, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
make 42.2% less money
Saudi Arabia has a GDP per capita of $34,537 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
Life
be 3.4 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Saudi Arabia, approximately 7.0 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 93.6% more likely to die during infancy
In Saudi Arabia, approximately 4.7 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 39.5% fewer children
In Saudi Arabia, there are approximately 16.5 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 12.8% less likely to have internet access
In Saudi Arabia, approximately 100.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Costa Rica, about 87.2% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 18.5% more on education
Saudi Arabia spends 4.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Costa Rica spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 20.7% more on healthcare
Saudi Arabia 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 51.1% less coastline
Saudi Arabia has a total of 2,640 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Safety
be 16.2% less likely to die in a road accident
In Saudi Arabia, road accidents kill 18.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 99.4% less strain on fresh water
Saudi Arabia withdraws 974% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
find 47.2% less home broadband
Saudi Arabia has 44.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
use 80.8% less electricity
Saudi Arabia uses 11,911 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 83.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Saudi Arabia, air pollution causes 91.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 91.2% less CO2
Saudi Arabia emits 18.5 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: Saudi Arabia vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Saudi Arabia? See an in-depth size comparison.