Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Uganda, you would:
Health
be 87.8% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Uganda, 4.9% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 0.6% of people as of 2024.
live 12.5 years longer
In Uganda, the average life expectancy is 68 years (65 years for men, 71 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 13.9 times more spent on your healthcare
Uganda spends $139 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 14.1 times more doctors per person
Uganda has 1.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
have 65.3% more access to essential health services
Uganda scores 49 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Costa Rica scores 81 as of 2021.
be 3.5 times more likely to be obese
In Uganda, 9.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
be 46.5% more likely to die by suicide
Uganda has a suicide rate of 5.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 16.6 times more money
Uganda has a GDP per capita of $1,206 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
be 2.5 times more likely to be unemployed
In Uganda, 2.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
Life
be 85.9% less likely to die during childbirth
In Uganda, approximately 170.0 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 27.2% more likely to be literate
In Uganda, the literacy rate is 77.0% as of 2024. In Costa Rica, it is 98.0% as of 2021.
be 74.7% less likely to die during infancy
In Uganda, approximately 35.9 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 71.0% fewer children
In Uganda, there are approximately 34.4 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 94.2% more likely to have access to electricity
In Uganda, approximately 52% of people have electricity access (76% in urban areas, and 42% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 9.7 times more likely to have internet access
In Uganda, approximately 8.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Costa Rica, about 87.2% do as of 2024.
be 58.4% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Uganda, approximately 63% of people have access to drinking water (80% in urban areas, and 57% 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 2.1 times more on education
Uganda spends 2.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Costa Rica spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 62.0% more on healthcare
Uganda spends 4.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 97.9% more likely to be murdered
Uganda has a homicide rate of 9.0 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 110.9 times more home broadband
Uganda has 0.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
use 24.0 times more electricity
Uganda uses 95 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 75.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Uganda, air pollution causes 60.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 9.6 times more CO2
Uganda emits 0.2 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 (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Uganda vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Uganda? See an in-depth size comparison.