Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Portugal instead of Costa Rica, you would:

Health

live 1.9 years longer

In Costa Rica, the average life expectancy is 80 years (77 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2022. In Portugal, that number is 82 years (78 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2022.

be 19.1% less likely to be obese

In Costa Rica, 25.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Portugal, that number is 20.8% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 62.0% more money

Costa Rica has a GDP per capita of $22,100 as of 2022, while in Portugal, the GDP per capita is $35,800 as of 2022.

be 46.9% less likely to be unemployed

In Costa Rica, 11.3% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Portugal, that number is 6.0% as of 2022.

be 35.7% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Costa Rica, 25.5% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Portugal, however, that number is 16.4% as of 2021.

pay a 3.8 times higher top tax rate

Costa Rica has a top tax rate of 15.0% as of 2016. In Portugal, the top tax rate is 56.5% as of 2016.

Life

be 45.5% less likely to die during childbirth

In Costa Rica, approximately 22.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Portugal, 12.0 women do as of 2020.

be 70.2% less likely to die during infancy

In Costa Rica, approximately 8.4 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Portugal, on the other hand, 2.5 children do as of 2022.

have 25.0% fewer children

In Costa Rica, there are approximately 10.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Portugal, there are 8.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 25.4% less on education

Costa Rica spends 6.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Portugal spends 5.0% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 34.2% more on healthcare

Costa Rica spends 7.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Portugal, that number is 10.6% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 39.0% more coastline

Costa Rica has a total of 1,290 km of coastline. In Portugal, that number is 1,793 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira, Directorate General of Taxation of Costa Rica.

Portugal: At a glance

Portugal is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 91,470 sq km. Following its heyday as a global maritime power during the 15th and 16th centuries, Portugal lost much of its wealth and status with the destruction of Lisbon in a 1755 earthquake, occupation during the Napoleonic Wars, and the independence of Brazil, its wealthiest colony, in 1822. A 1910 revolution deposed the monarchy; for most of the next six decades, repressive governments ran the country. In 1974, a left-wing military coup installed broad democratic reforms. The following year, Portugal granted independence to all of its African colonies. Portugal is a founding member of NATO and entered the EC (now the EU) in 1986.
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How big is Portugal compared to Costa Rica? See an in-depth size comparison.

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