Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Tonga, you would:
Health
live 7.9 years longer
In Tonga, the average life expectancy is 73 years (70 years for men, 77 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 55.7% less likely to be obese
In Tonga, 73.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
see 3.8 times more spent on your healthcare
Tonga spends $512 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 2.6 times more doctors per person
Tonga has 10.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
have 42.1% more access to essential health services
Tonga scores 57 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Costa Rica scores 81 as of 2021.
be 70.4% more likely to die by suicide
Tonga has a suicide rate of 4.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 3.1 times more money
Tonga has a GDP per capita of $6,547 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
be 3.4 times more likely to be unemployed
In Tonga, 2.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
Life
be 64.2% less likely to die during childbirth
In Tonga, approximately 67.0 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 16.7% more likely to die during infancy
In Tonga, approximately 7.8 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 56.6% fewer children
In Tonga, there are approximately 23.0 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 29.3% more likely to have internet access
In Tonga, approximately 67.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Costa Rica, about 87.2% do as of 2024.
Geography
see 3.1 times more coastline
Tonga has a total of 419 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Safety
be 82.4% more likely to die in a road accident
In Tonga, road accidents kill 8.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 2.9 times more home broadband
Tonga has 8.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
Environment
be 37.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Tonga, air pollution causes 24.0 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: Tonga vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Tonga? See an in-depth size comparison.