Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Serbia, you would:
Health
live 5.0 years longer
In Serbia, the average life expectancy is 76 years (74 years for men, 78 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.
have 12.5% more access to essential health services
Serbia scores 72 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Costa Rica scores 81 as of 2021.
be 46.8% less likely to die by suicide
Serbia has a suicide rate of 15.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 49.7% more likely to be obese
In Serbia, 21.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
see 16.3% less spent on your healthcare
Serbia spends $2,303 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 13.3% fewer doctors per person
Serbia has 31.0 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
Economy
be 13.2% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Serbia, 19.7% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Costa Rica, however, that number is 17.1% as of 2025.
make 30.8% more money
Serbia has a GDP per capita of $15,262 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
Life
be 2.2 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Serbia, approximately 11.0 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 97.8% more likely to die during infancy
In Serbia, approximately 4.6 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 14.4% less on healthcare
Serbia spends 8.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 56.2% more on education
Serbia spends 3.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Costa Rica spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 13.5 times more likely to be murdered
Serbia has a homicide rate of 1.3 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 2.1 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Serbia, road accidents kill 7.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 30.2% less home broadband
Serbia has 33.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
use 55.2% less electricity
Serbia uses 5,090 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 66.7% less likely to die from air pollution
In Serbia, air pollution causes 45.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Serbia vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Serbia? See an in-depth size comparison.