Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 21.4% less likely to be obese

In Costa Rica, 25.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Bolivia, that number is 20.2% of people as of 2016.

live 7.1 years less

In Costa Rica, the average life expectancy is 80 years (77 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2022. In Bolivia, that number is 72 years (71 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

be 62.9% less likely to be unemployed

In Costa Rica, 8.3% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Bolivia, that number is 3.1% as of 2023.

pay a 13.3% lower top tax rate

Costa Rica has a top tax rate of 15.0% as of 2016. In Bolivia, the top tax rate is 13.0% as of 2016.

make 62.4% less money

Costa Rica has a GDP per capita of $25,800 as of 2023, while in Bolivia, the GDP per capita is $9,700 as of 2023.

be 42.7% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Costa Rica, 25.5% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Bolivia, however, that number is 36.4% as of 2021.

Life

have 63.0% more children

In Costa Rica, there are approximately 10.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Bolivia, there are 17.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 7.3 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Costa Rica, approximately 22.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Bolivia, 161.0 women do as of 2020.

be 2.7 times more 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 Bolivia, on the other hand, 22.3 children do as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 20.5% less likely to have internet access

In Costa Rica, approximately 83.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Bolivia, about 66.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 46.3% more on education

Costa Rica spends 6.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Bolivia spends 9.8% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Autoridad de Impugnación Tributaria (AIT), Bolivia, Directorate General of Taxation of Costa Rica.

Bolivia: At a glance

Bolivia is a sovereign country in South America, with a total land area of approximately 1,083,301 sq km. Bolivia, named after independence fighter Simon BOLIVAR, broke away from Spanish rule in 1825; much of its subsequent history has consisted of a series of nearly 200 coups and countercoups. Democratic civilian rule was established in 1982, but leaders have faced difficult problems of deep-seated poverty, social unrest, and illegal drug production. In December 2005, Bolivians elected Movement Toward Socialism leader Evo MORALES president - by the widest margin of any leader since the restoration of civilian rule in 1982 - after he ran on a promise to change the country's traditional political class and empower the nation's poor, indigenous majority. In December 2009, President MORALES easily won reelection, and his party took control of the legislative branch of the government, which will allow him to continue his process of change. In October 2011, the country held its first judicial elections to select judges for the four highest courts.
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How big is Bolivia compared to Costa Rica? See an in-depth size comparison.

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