Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Central African Republic instead of Costa Rica, you would:

Health

be 70.8% less likely to be obese

In Costa Rica, 25.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Central African Republic, that number is 7.5% of people as of 2016.

be 7.2 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Costa Rica, 0.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Central African Republic, that number is 2.9% of people as of 2020.

live 24.1 years less

In Costa Rica, the average life expectancy is 80 years (77 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2022. In Central African Republic, that number is 56 years (54 years for men, 57 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

be 24.2% less likely to be unemployed

In Costa Rica, 8.3% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Central African Republic, that number is 6.3% as of 2023.

make 96.1% less money

Costa Rica has a GDP per capita of $25,800 as of 2023, while in Central African Republic, the GDP per capita is $1,000 as of 2023.

be 2.7 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In Costa Rica, 25.5% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Central African Republic, however, that number is 68.8% as of 2021.

Life

have 3.0 times more children

In Costa Rica, there are approximately 10.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Central African Republic, there are 31.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 38.0 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 Central African Republic, 835.0 women do as of 2020.

be 61.7% less likely to be literate

In Costa Rica, the literacy rate is 98.0% as of 2021. In Central African Republic, it is 37.5% as of 2020.

be 9.9 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 Central African Republic, on the other hand, 83.0 children do as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 84.3% less likely to have access to electricity

In Costa Rica, approximately 100% of the population has electricity access as of 2022. In Central African Republic, 16% of the population do as of 2022.

be 86.7% less likely to have internet access

In Costa Rica, approximately 83.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Central African Republic, about 11.0% do as of 2021.

be 37.1% less likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Costa Rica, approximately 100% of people have improved drinking water access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Central African Republic, that number is 63% of people on average (84% in urban areas, and 48% in rural areas) as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 67.2% less on education

Costa Rica spends 6.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Central African Republic spends 2.2% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 19.0% more on healthcare

Costa Rica spends 7.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Central African Republic, that number is 9.4% of GDP as of 2020.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

Central African Republic: At a glance

Central African Republic is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 622,984 sq km. The former French colony of Ubangi-Shari became the Central African Republic upon independence in 1960. After three tumultuous decades of misrule - mostly by military governments - civilian rule was established in 1993 and lasted for one decade. In March, 2003 President Ange-Felix PATASSE was deposed in a military coup led by General Francois BOZIZE, who established a transitional government. Elections held in 2005 affirmed General BOZIZE as president; he was reelected in 2011 in voting widely viewed as flawed. The government still does not fully control the countryside, where pockets of lawlessness persist. The militant group the Lord's Resistance Army continues to destabilize southeastern Central African Republic, and several rebel groups joined together in early December 2012 to launch a series of attacks that left them in control of numerous towns in the northern and central parts of the country. The rebels - who are unhappy with BOZIZE's government - participated in peace talks in early January 2013 which resulted in a coalition government including the rebellion's leadership. In March 2013, the coalition government dissolved, rebels seized the capital, and President BOZIZE fled the country. Rebel leader Michel DJOTODIA assumed the presidency, reappointed Nicolas TIANGAYE as Prime Minister, and established a transitional government on 31 March. On 13 April 2013, the National Transitional Council affirmed DJOTODIA as President.
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