Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Solomon Islands, you would:
Health
live 10.3 years longer
In Solomon Islands, the average life expectancy is 71 years (69 years for men, 72 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 12.6 times more spent on your healthcare
Solomon Islands spends $153 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 11.3 times more doctors per person
Solomon Islands has 2.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
have 72.3% more access to essential health services
Solomon Islands scores 47 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Costa Rica scores 81 as of 2021.
be 58.9% less likely to die by suicide
Solomon Islands has a suicide rate of 19.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 49.8% more likely to be obese
In Solomon Islands, 21.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 9.6 times more money
Solomon Islands has a GDP per capita of $2,086 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
be 4.8 times more likely to be unemployed
In Solomon Islands, 1.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
Life
be 80.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In Solomon Islands, approximately 123.0 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 44.5% less likely to die during infancy
In Solomon Islands, approximately 16.4 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 62.6% fewer children
In Solomon Islands, there are approximately 26.7 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 23.0% more likely to have access to electricity
In Solomon Islands, approximately 81% of people have electricity access (81% in urban areas, and 81% 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 3.0 times more likely to have internet access
In Solomon Islands, approximately 29.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Costa Rica, about 87.2% do as of 2024.
be 39.4% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Solomon Islands, approximately 72% of people have access to drinking water (91% in urban areas, and 65% 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 35.9% less on education
Solomon Islands spends 8.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Costa Rica spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 28.2% more on healthcare
Solomon Islands spends 5.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 75.7% less coastline
Solomon Islands has a total of 5,313 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Safety
be 38.4% more likely to die in a road accident
In Solomon Islands, road accidents kill 11.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 211.7 times more home broadband
Solomon Islands has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
Environment
be 73.7% less likely to die from air pollution
In Solomon Islands, air pollution causes 57.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 4.3 times more CO2
Solomon Islands emits 0.4 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: Solomon Islands vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Solomon Islands? See an in-depth size comparison.