Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Yemen, you would:
Health
live 11.6 years longer
In Yemen, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 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 11.4 times more spent on your healthcare
Yemen spends $169 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 27.4 times more doctors per person
Yemen has 1.0 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
have 92.9% more access to essential health services
Yemen scores 42 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Costa Rica scores 81 as of 2021.
be 2.5 times more likely to be obese
In Yemen, 13.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
be 91.4% more likely to die by suicide
Yemen has a suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 60.5% less likely to be unemployed
In Yemen, 17.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
Life
be 79.7% less likely to die during childbirth
In Yemen, approximately 118.0 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 73.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Yemen, approximately 33.8 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 70.9% fewer children
In Yemen, 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 19.6% more likely to have access to electricity
In Yemen, approximately 84% of people have electricity access (96% in urban areas, and 75% 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 4.9 times more likely to have internet access
In Yemen, approximately 17.7% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Costa Rica, about 87.2% do as of 2024.
be 33.0% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Yemen, approximately 75% of people have access to drinking water (89% in urban areas, and 66% 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 29.2% less on healthcare
Yemen spends 9.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 32.3% less coastline
Yemen has a total of 1,906 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Safety
be 48.0% less likely to die in a road accident
In Yemen, road accidents kill 29.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 18.3 times more home broadband
Yemen has 1.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
live with 96.5% less strain on fresh water
Yemen withdraws 170% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
use 25.4 times more electricity
Yemen uses 90 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 86.2% less likely to die from air pollution
In Yemen, air pollution causes 109.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 6.3 times more CO2
Yemen emits 0.3 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 (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Yemen vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Yemen? See an in-depth size comparison.