Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Zambia, you would:
Health
be 93.6% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Zambia, 9.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 0.6% of people as of 2024.
live 14.5 years longer
In Zambia, the average life expectancy is 67 years (64 years for men, 69 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 7.9 times more spent on your healthcare
Zambia spends $244 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 8.3 times more doctors per person
Zambia has 3.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
have 44.6% more access to essential health services
Zambia scores 56 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Costa Rica scores 81 as of 2021.
be 2.8 times more likely to be obese
In Zambia, 11.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
be 13.0% more likely to die by suicide
Zambia has a suicide rate of 7.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 71.5% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Zambia, 60.0% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Costa Rica, however, that number is 17.1% as of 2025.
make 15.2 times more money
Zambia has a GDP per capita of $1,318 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
be 15.5% more likely to be unemployed
In Zambia, 5.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
Life
be 71.8% less likely to die during childbirth
In Zambia, approximately 85.0 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 36.5% more likely to be literate
In Zambia, the literacy rate is 71.8% as of 2024. In Costa Rica, it is 98.0% as of 2021.
be 73.7% less likely to die during infancy
In Zambia, approximately 34.6 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 69.5% fewer children
In Zambia, there are approximately 32.7 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 95.7% more likely to have access to electricity
In Zambia, approximately 51% of people have electricity access (90% in urban areas, and 18% 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 5.1 times more likely to have internet access
In Zambia, approximately 17.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Costa Rica, about 87.2% do as of 2024.
be 36.0% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Zambia, approximately 73% of people have access to drinking water (90% in urban areas, and 58% 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% more on education
Zambia spends 4.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Costa Rica spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 14.9% more on healthcare
Zambia spends 6.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 29.5 times more home broadband
Zambia has 0.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
use 3.1 times more electricity
Zambia uses 727 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
live with 2.1 times more strain on fresh water
Zambia withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
Environment
be 70.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Zambia, air pollution causes 50.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.0 times more CO2
Zambia emits 0.5 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 (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Zambia vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Zambia? See an in-depth size comparison.