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

Health

live 4.5 years longer

In Vanuatu, the average life expectancy is 75 years (73 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2022. In Costa Rica, that number is 80 years (77 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

make 7.0 times more money

Vanuatu has a GDP per capita of $2,800 as of 2020, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,700 as of 2020.

be 4.8 times more likely to be unemployed

In Vanuatu, 1.7% of adults are unemployed as of 1999. In Costa Rica, that number is 8.1% as of 2017.

Life

be 62.5% less likely to die during childbirth

In Vanuatu, approximately 72.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Costa Rica, 27.0 women do as of 2017.

be 11.9% more likely to be literate

In Vanuatu, the literacy rate is 87.5% as of 2018. In Costa Rica, it is 97.9% as of 2018.

be 41.5% less likely to die during infancy

In Vanuatu, approximately 14.3 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Costa Rica, on the other hand, 8.4 children do as of 2022.

have 33.8% fewer children

In Vanuatu, there are approximately 21.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Costa Rica, there are 14.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 61.8% more likely to have access to electricity

In Vanuatu, approximately 62% of the population has electricity access as of 2018. In Costa Rica, 100% of the population do as of 2020.

be 3.1 times more likely to have internet access

In Vanuatu, approximately 26.0% of the population has internet access as of 2019. In Costa Rica, about 81.0% do as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 2.9 times more on education

Vanuatu spends 2.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Costa Rica spends 6.7% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 2.1 times more on healthcare

Vanuatu spends 3.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In Costa Rica, that number is 7.3% of GDP as of 2019.

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.


The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

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

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