Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of United Kingdom, you would:
Health
be 15.6% less likely to die by suicide
United Kingdom has a suicide rate of 9.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 19.4% more likely to be obese
In United Kingdom, 27.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
see 70.8% less spent on your healthcare
United Kingdom spends $6,606 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 18.6% fewer doctors per person
United Kingdom has 33.0 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
Economy
be 44.0% more likely to be unemployed
In United Kingdom, 4.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
make 65.3% less money
United Kingdom has a GDP per capita of $57,602 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
Life
be 3.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In United Kingdom, approximately 8.0 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 2.2 times more likely to die during infancy
In United Kingdom, approximately 4.1 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 10.2% less on education
United Kingdom spends 5.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Costa Rica spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 38.3% less on healthcare
United Kingdom spends 11.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 89.6% less coastline
United Kingdom has a total of 12,429 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Safety
be 15.8 times more likely to be murdered
United Kingdom has a homicide rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, that number is 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 6.5 times more likely to die in a road accident
In United Kingdom, road accidents kill 2.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 59.0% less strain on fresh water
United Kingdom withdraws 14% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
find 44.8% less home broadband
United Kingdom has 42.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
use 45.6% less electricity
United Kingdom uses 4,195 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
emit 61.4% less CO2
United Kingdom emits 4.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.
be 15.4% more likely to die from air pollution
In United Kingdom, air pollution causes 13.0 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: United Kingdom vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to United Kingdom? See an in-depth size comparison.