Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Vanuatu, you would:
Health
live 9.3 years longer
In Vanuatu, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 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 13.7 times more spent on your healthcare
Vanuatu spends $141 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 16.4 times more doctors per person
Vanuatu has 1.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2019. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
have 72.3% more access to essential health services
Vanuatu scores 47 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Costa Rica scores 81 as of 2021.
be 48.8% less likely to die by suicide
Vanuatu has a suicide rate of 15.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 44.9% more likely to be obese
In Vanuatu, 22.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 4.9 times more money
Vanuatu has a GDP per capita of $4,039 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
be 34.9% more likely to be unemployed
In Vanuatu, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
Life
be 76.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In Vanuatu, approximately 100.0 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 11.4% more likely to be literate
In Vanuatu, the literacy rate is 88.0% as of 2023. In Costa Rica, it is 98.0% as of 2021.
be 36.8% less likely to die during infancy
In Vanuatu, approximately 14.4 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 63.9% fewer children
In Vanuatu, there are approximately 27.6 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 62.3% more likely to have access to electricity
In Vanuatu, approximately 62% of people have electricity access (88% in urban areas, and 54% 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 24.7% more likely to have internet access
In Vanuatu, approximately 69.9% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Costa Rica, about 87.2% do as of 2024.
be 14.6% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Vanuatu, approximately 87% of people have access to drinking water (97% in urban areas, and 84% 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 30.5% less on education
Vanuatu spends 7.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Costa Rica spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 66.7% more on healthcare
Vanuatu spends 4.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 49.0% less coastline
Vanuatu has a total of 2,528 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Safety
be 53.8 times more likely to be murdered
Vanuatu has a homicide rate of 0.3 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Costa Rica, that number is 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 24.0% more likely to die in a road accident
In Vanuatu, road accidents kill 12.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 20.1 times more home broadband
Vanuatu has 1.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
Environment
be 73.7% less likely to die from air pollution
In Vanuatu, air pollution causes 57.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 87.4% more CO2
Vanuatu emits 0.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Vanuatu vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Vanuatu? See an in-depth size comparison.