Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Zimbabwe, you would:
Health
be 93.9% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Zimbabwe, 9.8% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 0.6% of people as of 2024.
live 17.9 years longer
In Zimbabwe, the average life expectancy is 63 years (60 years for men, 65 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 18.7 times more spent on your healthcare
Zimbabwe spends $103 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 19.8 times more doctors per person
Zimbabwe has 1.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
have 47.3% more access to essential health services
Zimbabwe scores 55 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Costa Rica scores 81 as of 2021.
be 53.5% less likely to die by suicide
Zimbabwe has a suicide rate of 17.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.2 times more likely to be obese
In Zimbabwe, 14.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 26.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Zimbabwe, 9.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
make 6.6 times more money
Zimbabwe has a GDP per capita of $3,021 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
Life
be 93.3% less likely to die during childbirth
In Zimbabwe, approximately 358.0 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 85.4% less likely to die during infancy
In Zimbabwe, approximately 62.4 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 66.6% fewer children
In Zimbabwe, there are approximately 29.9 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 61.3% more likely to have access to electricity
In Zimbabwe, approximately 62% of people have electricity access (84% in urban areas, and 51% 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 2.1 times more likely to have internet access
In Zimbabwe, approximately 41.6% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Costa Rica, about 87.2% do as of 2024.
be 48.5% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Zimbabwe, approximately 67% of people have access to drinking water (94% in urban areas, and 54% 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 14.0 times more on education
Zimbabwe spends 0.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Costa Rica spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 2.3 times more on healthcare
Zimbabwe spends 2.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 48.2% less likely to die in a road accident
In Zimbabwe, road accidents kill 29.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.6 times more likely to be murdered
Zimbabwe has a homicide rate of 6.8 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Costa Rica, that number is 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 12.0 times more home broadband
Zimbabwe has 1.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
live with 87.2% less strain on fresh water
Zimbabwe withdraws 46% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
use 4.5 times more electricity
Zimbabwe uses 504 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 73.2% less likely to die from air pollution
In Zimbabwe, air pollution causes 56.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.1 times more CO2
Zimbabwe emits 0.8 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). How we calculate this
Compare further: Zimbabwe vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Zimbabwe? See an in-depth size comparison.