If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Tunisia, you would:

Health

live 4.3 years longer

In Tunisia, the average life expectancy is 77 years (74 years for men, 79 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.

View global rankings →

see 73.3% more spent on your healthcare

Tunisia spends $1,113 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 2.0 times more doctors per person

Tunisia has 13.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.

View global rankings →

have 20.9% more access to essential health services

Tunisia scores 67 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Costa Rica scores 81 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 25.4% more likely to be obese

In Tunisia, 26.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 4.4 times more likely to die by suicide

Tunisia has a suicide rate of 1.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 54.7% less likely to be unemployed

In Tunisia, 15.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

make 4.3 times more money

Tunisia has a GDP per capita of $4,657 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

be 33.3% less likely to die during childbirth

In Tunisia, approximately 36.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Costa Rica, 24.0 women do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 13.6% more likely to be literate

In Tunisia, the literacy rate is 86.2% as of 2023. In Costa Rica, it is 98.0% as of 2021.

View global rankings →

have 25.3% fewer children

In Tunisia, there are approximately 13.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Costa Rica, there are 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 13.9% more likely to have internet access

In Tunisia, approximately 76.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Costa Rica, about 87.2% do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 21.1% less on education

Tunisia spends 6.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Costa Rica spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

View global rankings →

spend 14.0% less on healthcare

Tunisia spends 8.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 12.4% more coastline

Tunisia has a total of 1,148 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 3.8 times more likely to be murdered

Tunisia has a homicide rate of 4.7 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Costa Rica, that number is 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 55.6% more home broadband

Tunisia has 15.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

live with 94.0% less strain on fresh water

Tunisia withdraws 98% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

use 40.1% more electricity

Tunisia uses 1,629 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Environment

be 72.7% less likely to die from air pollution

In Tunisia, air pollution causes 55.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.

View global rankings →

emit 37.8% less CO2

Tunisia emits 2.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →


Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Costa Rica: At a glance

Costa Rica is a sovereign country in Central America/Caribbean, with a total land area of approximately 51,060 sq km. Although explored by the Spanish early in the 16th century, initial attempts at colonizing Costa Rica proved unsuccessful due to a combination of factors, including disease from mosquito-infested swamps, brutal heat, resistance by natives, and pirate raids. It was not until 1563 that a permanent settlement of Cartago was established in the cooler, fertile central highlands. The area remained a colony for some two and a half centuries. In 1821, Costa Rica became one of several Central American provinces that jointly declared their independence from Spain. Two years later it joined the United Provinces of Central America, but this federation disintegrated in 1838, at which time Costa Rica proclaimed its sovereignty and independence. Since the late 19th century, only two brief periods of violence have marred the country's democratic development. In 1949, Costa Rica dissolved its armed forces. Although it still maintains a large agricultural sector, Costa Rica has expanded its economy to include strong technology and tourism industries. The standard of living is relatively high. Land ownership is widespread.
Read more

How big is Costa Rica compared to Tunisia? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Costa Rica or Tunisia. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.