Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Venezuela, you would:
Health
live 8.3 years longer
In Venezuela, the average life expectancy is 73 years (69 years for men, 77 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 10.4 times more spent on your healthcare
Venezuela spends $186 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
be 42.2% more likely to be obese
In Venezuela, 23.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 5.7 times more money
Venezuela has a GDP per capita of $3,495 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
be 28.8% more likely to be unemployed
In Venezuela, 5.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
Life
be 89.4% less likely to die during childbirth
In Venezuela, approximately 227.0 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 57.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Venezuela, approximately 21.2 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 34.4% fewer children
In Venezuela, there are approximately 15.2 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 13.7% more likely to have internet access
In Venezuela, approximately 76.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Costa Rica, about 87.2% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 81.7% more on healthcare
Venezuela spends 3.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 53.9% less coastline
Venezuela has a total of 2,800 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Safety
be 40.3% more likely to be murdered
Venezuela has a homicide rate of 12.7 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Costa Rica, that number is 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 17.4% more likely to die in a road accident
In Venezuela, road accidents kill 13.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 80.0% more home broadband
Venezuela has 12.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
live with 22.0% less strain on fresh water
Venezuela withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
use 16.9% more electricity
Venezuela uses 1,953 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 53.1% less likely to die from air pollution
In Venezuela, air pollution causes 32.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 51.9% less CO2
Venezuela emits 3.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Venezuela vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Venezuela? See an in-depth size comparison.