Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Thailand, you would:
Health
live 2.0 years longer
In Thailand, the average life expectancy is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2022. In Costa Rica, that number is 80 years (77 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2022.
be 2.6 times more likely to be obese
In Thailand, 10.0% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Costa Rica, that number is 25.7% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 13.9% more money
Thailand has a GDP per capita of $17,300 as of 2020, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,700 as of 2020.
pay a 57.1% lower top tax rate
Thailand has a top tax rate of 35.0% as of 2016. In Costa Rica, the top tax rate is 15.0% as of 2016.
be 8.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In Thailand, 1.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2019. In Costa Rica, that number is 8.1% as of 2017.
be 2.1 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Thailand, 9.9% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In Costa Rica, however, that number is 21.0% as of 2019.
Life
be 27.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In Thailand, approximately 37.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Costa Rica, 27.0 women do as of 2017.
have 40.8% more children
In Thailand, there are approximately 10.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Costa Rica, there are 14.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.
be 29.7% more likely to die during infancy
In Thailand, approximately 6.5 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Costa Rica, on the other hand, 8.4 children do as of 2022.
Expenditures
spend 2.2 times more on education
Thailand spends 3.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2019. Costa Rica spends 6.7% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 92.1% more on healthcare
Thailand spends 3.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In Costa Rica, that number is 7.3% of GDP as of 2019.
Geography
see 59.9% less coastline
Thailand has a total of 3,219 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, The Revenue Department, Government of Thailand, Directorate General of Taxation of Costa Rica.
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Thailand? See an in-depth size comparison.