Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Sweden, you would:
Health
be 41.8% less likely to die by suicide
Sweden has a suicide rate of 13.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 3.1 years less
In Sweden, the average life expectancy is 84 years (83 years for men, 86 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 86.8% more likely to be obese
In Sweden, 17.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
see 75.2% less spent on your healthcare
Sweden spends $7,770 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 39.0% fewer doctors per person
Sweden has 44.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
Economy
be 21.3% less likely to be unemployed
In Sweden, 8.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
make 68.4% less money
Sweden has a GDP per capita of $63,133 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
Life
be 6.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Sweden, 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 4.5 times more likely to die during infancy
In Sweden, approximately 2.0 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 27.5% less on education
Sweden spends 7.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Costa Rica spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 38.8% less on healthcare
Sweden spends 11.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 59.9% less coastline
Sweden has a total of 3,218 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Safety
be 15.4 times more likely to be murdered
Sweden 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 7.4 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Sweden, road accidents kill 2.1 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 42.7% less home broadband
Sweden has 40.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
live with 64.2% more strain on fresh water
Sweden withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
use 81.3% less electricity
Sweden uses 12,226 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
emit 54.3% less CO2
Sweden emits 3.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.
be 87.5% more likely to die from air pollution
In Sweden, air pollution causes 8.0 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), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Sweden vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Sweden? See an in-depth size comparison.