Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Zimbabwe, you would:
Health
be 96.6% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Zimbabwe, 11.9% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Costa Rica, that number is 0.4% of people as of 2020.
live 16.3 years longer
In Zimbabwe, the average life expectancy is 63 years (61 years for men, 66 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 65.8% more likely to be obese
In Zimbabwe, 15.5% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Costa Rica, that number is 25.7% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 7.3 times more money
Zimbabwe has a GDP per capita of $2,700 as of 2020, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,700 as of 2020.
be 28.3% less likely to be unemployed
In Zimbabwe, 11.3% of adults are unemployed as of 2014. In Costa Rica, that number is 8.1% as of 2017.
be 45.2% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Zimbabwe, 38.3% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Costa Rica, however, that number is 21.0% as of 2019.
pay a 70.0% lower top tax rate
Zimbabwe has a top tax rate of 50.0% as of 2016. In Costa Rica, the top tax rate is 15.0% as of 2016.
Life
be 94.1% less likely to die during childbirth
In Zimbabwe, approximately 458.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Costa Rica, 27.0 women do as of 2017.
be 13.2% more likely to be literate
In Zimbabwe, the literacy rate is 86.5% as of 2015. In Costa Rica, it is 97.9% as of 2018.
be 70.6% less likely to die during infancy
In Zimbabwe, approximately 28.5 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 56.8% fewer children
In Zimbabwe, there are approximately 33.1 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 88.7% more likely to have access to electricity
In Zimbabwe, approximately 53% of the population has electricity access as of 2019. In Costa Rica, 100% of the population do as of 2020.
be 2.8 times more likely to have internet access
In Zimbabwe, approximately 29.0% of the population has internet access as of 2020. In Costa Rica, about 81.0% do as of 2020.
be 30.0% more likely to have access to improved drinking water
In Zimbabwe, approximately 77% of people have improved drinking water access (98% in urban areas, and 67% 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 86.1% more on education
Zimbabwe spends 3.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2018. Costa Rica spends 6.7% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Directorate General of Taxation of Costa Rica, Zimbabwe Revenue Authority.
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Zimbabwe? See an in-depth size comparison.