Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Cameroon, you would:
Health
be 86.7% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Cameroon, 3.0% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Costa Rica, that number is 0.4% of people as of 2020.
live 16.4 years longer
In Cameroon, the average life expectancy is 63 years (61 years for men, 65 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 2.3 times more likely to be obese
In Cameroon, 11.4% 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
Cameroon has a GDP per capita of $3,700 as of 2022, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $22,100 as of 2022.
be 32.0% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Cameroon, 37.5% live below the poverty line as of 2014. In Costa Rica, however, that number is 25.5% as of 2022.
pay a 57.1% lower top tax rate
Cameroon has a top tax rate of 35.0% as of 2016. In Costa Rica, the top tax rate is 15.0% as of 2016.
be 3.0 times more likely to be unemployed
In Cameroon, 3.8% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Costa Rica, that number is 11.3% as of 2022.
Life
be 95.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In Cameroon, approximately 438.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Costa Rica, 22.0 women do as of 2020.
be 27.1% more likely to be literate
In Cameroon, the literacy rate is 77.1% as of 2018. In Costa Rica, it is 98.0% as of 2021.
be 82.8% less likely to die during infancy
In Cameroon, approximately 48.7 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 68.9% fewer children
In Cameroon, there are approximately 34.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Costa Rica, there are 10.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 52.9% more likely to have access to electricity
In Cameroon, approximately 65% of the population has electricity access as of 2021. In Costa Rica, 100% of the population do as of 2021.
be 80.4% more likely to have internet access
In Cameroon, approximately 46.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Costa Rica, about 83.0% do as of 2021.
be 27.2% more likely to have access to improved drinking water
In Cameroon, approximately 79% of people have improved drinking water access (95% in urban areas, and 56% 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 2.1 times more on education
Cameroon spends 3.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Costa Rica spends 6.7% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 2.1 times more on healthcare
Cameroon spends 3.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Costa Rica, that number is 7.9% of GDP as of 2020.
Geography
see 3.2 times more coastline
Cameroon has a total of 402 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Ministry of Finance, Directorate General of Taxation of Costa Rica.
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Cameroon? See an in-depth size comparison.