Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Timor-Leste, you would:
Health
live 13.1 years longer
In Timor-Leste, the average life expectancy is 68 years (66 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 4.2 times more spent on your healthcare
Timor-Leste spends $461 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 3.6 times more doctors per person
Timor-Leste has 7.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
have 55.8% more access to essential health services
Timor-Leste scores 52 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Costa Rica scores 81 as of 2021.
be 9.1 times more likely to be obese
In Timor-Leste, 3.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
be 2.3 times more likely to die by suicide
Timor-Leste has a suicide rate of 3.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 14.9 times more money
Timor-Leste has a GDP per capita of $1,341 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
be 4.3 times more likely to be unemployed
In Timor-Leste, 1.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
Life
be 87.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In Timor-Leste, approximately 192.0 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 41.2% more likely to be literate
In Timor-Leste, the literacy rate is 69.4% as of 2022. In Costa Rica, it is 98.0% as of 2021.
be 73.7% less likely to die during infancy
In Timor-Leste, approximately 34.6 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 54.1% fewer children
In Timor-Leste, there are approximately 21.8 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 2.1 times more likely to have internet access
In Timor-Leste, approximately 40.8% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Costa Rica, about 87.2% do as of 2024.
be 14.3% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Timor-Leste, approximately 87% of people have access to drinking water (98% in urban areas, and 82% 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 28.4% less on healthcare
Timor-Leste spends 9.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 82.7% more coastline
Timor-Leste has a total of 706 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Safety
be 29.2% more likely to die in a road accident
In Timor-Leste, road accidents kill 12.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 2329.0 times more home broadband
Timor-Leste has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
live with 79.2% less strain on fresh water
Timor-Leste withdraws 28% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
Environment
be 75.4% less likely to die from air pollution
In Timor-Leste, air pollution causes 61.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.3 times more CO2
Timor-Leste emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Timor-Leste vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Timor-Leste? See an in-depth size comparison.