Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Sudan, you would:
Health
live 14.5 years longer
In Sudan, the average life expectancy is 67 years (63 years for men, 70 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 68.2 times more spent on your healthcare
Sudan spends $28 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 84.1% more access to essential health services
Sudan scores 44 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Costa Rica scores 81 as of 2021.
be 83.8% more likely to be obese
In Sudan, 17.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
be 2.6 times more likely to die by suicide
Sudan has a suicide rate of 3.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 40.3% less likely to be unemployed
In Sudan, 11.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
make 17.1 times more money
Sudan has a GDP per capita of $1,165 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
Life
be 90.6% less likely to die during childbirth
In Sudan, approximately 256.0 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 61.4% more likely to be literate
In Sudan, the literacy rate is 60.7% as of 2018. In Costa Rica, it is 98.0% as of 2021.
be 78.8% less likely to die during infancy
In Sudan, approximately 42.9 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 69.7% fewer children
In Sudan, there are approximately 33.0 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 51.5% more likely to have access to electricity
In Sudan, approximately 66% of people have electricity access (87% in urban areas, and 54% 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 Sudan, approximately 28.7% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Costa Rica, about 87.2% do as of 2024.
be 53.8% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Sudan, approximately 65% of people have access to drinking water (74% in urban areas, and 60% 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 2.4 times more on healthcare
Sudan spends 2.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 51.2% more coastline
Sudan has a total of 853 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Safety
be 20.9% less likely to die in a road accident
In Sudan, road accidents kill 19.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 388.2 times more home broadband
Sudan has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
live with 95.0% less strain on fresh water
Sudan withdraws 119% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
use 10.3 times more electricity
Sudan uses 223 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 78.6% less likely to die from air pollution
In Sudan, air pollution causes 70.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.8 times more CO2
Sudan 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 (2019–2022), The World Factbook (2018–2023), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Sudan vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Sudan? See an in-depth size comparison.