Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Zambia, you would:
Health
be 96.4% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Zambia, 11.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Costa Rica, that number is 0.4% of people as of 2020.
live 13.4 years longer
In Zambia, the average life expectancy is 66 years (65 years for men, 68 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.
be 3.2 times more likely to be obese
In Zambia, 8.1% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Costa Rica, that number is 25.7% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 6.0 times more money
Zambia has a GDP per capita of $3,300 as of 2020, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,700 as of 2020.
be 46.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Zambia, 15.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2008. In Costa Rica, that number is 8.1% as of 2017.
be 61.4% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Zambia, 54.4% live below the poverty line as of 2015. In Costa Rica, however, that number is 21.0% as of 2019.
pay a 57.1% lower top tax rate
Zambia has a top tax rate of 35.0% as of 2016. In Costa Rica, the top tax rate is 15.0% as of 2016.
Life
be 87.3% less likely to die during childbirth
In Zambia, approximately 213.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Costa Rica, 27.0 women do as of 2017.
be 12.9% more likely to be literate
In Zambia, the literacy rate is 86.7% as of 2018. In Costa Rica, it is 97.9% as of 2018.
be 77.4% less likely to die during infancy
In Zambia, approximately 37.1 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 59.0% fewer children
In Zambia, there are approximately 34.9 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 2.7 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Zambia, approximately 37% of the population has electricity access as of 2019. In Costa Rica, 100% of the population do as of 2020.
be 4.0 times more likely to have internet access
In Zambia, approximately 20.0% of the population has internet access as of 2020. In Costa Rica, about 81.0% do as of 2020.
be 39.7% more likely to have access to improved drinking water
In Zambia, approximately 72% of people have improved drinking water access (90% in urban areas, and 57% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Costa Rica, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 48.9% more on education
Zambia spends 4.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2019. Costa Rica spends 6.7% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 37.7% more on healthcare
Zambia spends 5.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In Costa Rica, that number is 7.3% of GDP as of 2019.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Zambia Revenue Authority, Directorate General of Taxation of Costa Rica.
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Zambia? See an in-depth size comparison.