Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Slovakia, you would:
Health
live 2.6 years longer
In Slovakia, the average life expectancy is 78 years (75 years for men, 82 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 18.7% less likely to die by suicide
Slovakia has a suicide rate of 9.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 25.4% more likely to be obese
In Slovakia, 26.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
see 40.3% less spent on your healthcare
Slovakia spends $3,230 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 27.3% fewer doctors per person
Slovakia has 37.0 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
Economy
be 27.6% more likely to be unemployed
In Slovakia, 5.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
make 30.0% less money
Slovakia has a GDP per capita of $28,544 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
Life
have 17.5% more children
In Slovakia, there are approximately 8.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Costa Rica, there are 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 6.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Slovakia, approximately 4.0 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 71.7% more likely to die during infancy
In Slovakia, approximately 5.3 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 13.9% more on education
Slovakia spends 4.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Costa Rica spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 15.8 times more likely to be murdered
Slovakia has a homicide rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 2.4 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Slovakia, road accidents kill 6.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 31.1% less home broadband
Slovakia has 33.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
live with 2.4 times more strain on fresh water
Slovakia withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
use 51.2% less electricity
Slovakia uses 4,675 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 50.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Slovakia, air pollution causes 30.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 70.4% less CO2
Slovakia emits 5.5 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). How we calculate this
Compare further: Slovakia vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Slovakia? See an in-depth size comparison.