Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Somalia, you would:
Health
live 22.0 years longer
In Somalia, the average life expectancy is 59 years (56 years for men, 62 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 37.0 times more spent on your healthcare
Somalia spends $52 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 3.0 times more access to essential health services
Somalia scores 27 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Costa Rica scores 81 as of 2021.
be 2.2 times more likely to be obese
In Somalia, 14.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 63.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Somalia, 18.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
be 69.1% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Somalia, 55.4% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Costa Rica, however, that number is 17.1% as of 2025.
make 30.2 times more money
Somalia has a GDP per capita of $661 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
Life
be 95.7% less likely to die during childbirth
In Somalia, approximately 563.0 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 81.1% more likely to be literate
In Somalia, the literacy rate is 54.1% as of 2022. In Costa Rica, it is 98.0% as of 2021.
be 86.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Somalia, approximately 65.4 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 76.4% fewer children
In Somalia, there are approximately 42.4 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 98.8% more likely to have access to electricity
In Somalia, approximately 50% of people have electricity access (79% in urban areas, and 24% 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 3.1 times more likely to have internet access
In Somalia, approximately 27.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Costa Rica, about 87.2% do as of 2024.
be 32.6% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Somalia, approximately 75% of people have access to drinking water (84% in urban areas, and 68% 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 83.7% more on healthcare
Somalia spends 3.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 57.4% less coastline
Somalia has a total of 3,025 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Safety
be 23.3% less likely to die in a road accident
In Somalia, road accidents kill 20.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 32.3 times more home broadband
Somalia has 0.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
live with 76.0% less strain on fresh water
Somalia withdraws 25% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
Environment
be 76.6% less likely to die from air pollution
In Somalia, air pollution causes 64.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 32.6 times more CO2
Somalia emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Somalia vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Somalia? See an in-depth size comparison.