Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Turkey, you would:
Health
live 3.6 years longer
In Turkey, the average life expectancy is 77 years (75 years for men, 80 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.
have 20.2% more doctors per person
Turkey has 22.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
be 13.7% more likely to be obese
In Turkey, 28.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
be 3.0 times more likely to die by suicide
Turkey has a suicide rate of 2.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 19.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Turkey, 8.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
be 31.5% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Turkey, 13.0% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Costa Rica, however, that number is 17.1% as of 2025.
Life
be 60.0% more likely to die during childbirth
In Turkey, approximately 15.0 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 13.7% more likely to die during infancy
In Turkey, approximately 8.0 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 71.3% more on education
Turkey spends 3.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Costa Rica spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 60.5% more on healthcare
Turkey spends 4.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 82.1% less coastline
Turkey has a total of 7,200 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Safety
be 5.5 times more likely to be murdered
Turkey has a homicide rate of 3.2 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 2.4 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Turkey, road accidents kill 6.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 87.7% less strain on fresh water
Turkey withdraws 48% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
use 38.8% less electricity
Turkey uses 3,731 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 61.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Turkey, air pollution causes 39.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 69.7% less CO2
Turkey emits 5.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Turkey vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Turkey? See an in-depth size comparison.