Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 75.9% less likely to be obese

In Costa Rica, 25.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In China, that number is 6.2% of people as of 2016.

live 3.5 years less

In Costa Rica, the average life expectancy is 80 years (77 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2022. In China, that number is 76 years (74 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2020.

Economy

be 43.7% less likely to be unemployed

In Costa Rica, 8.3% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In China, that number is 4.7% as of 2023.

make 14.3% less money

Costa Rica has a GDP per capita of $25,800 as of 2023, while in China, the GDP per capita is $22,100 as of 2023.

pay a 3.0 times higher top tax rate

Costa Rica has a top tax rate of 15.0% as of 2016. In China, the top tax rate is 45.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 19.4% 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 China, on the other hand, 6.8 children do as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 12.0% less likely to have internet access

In Costa Rica, approximately 83.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In China, about 73.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 46.3% less on education

Costa Rica spends 6.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. China spends 3.6% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 29.1% less on healthcare

Costa Rica spends 7.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In China, that number is 5.6% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 11.2 times more coastline

Costa Rica has a total of 1,290 km of coastline. In China, that number is 14,500 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, State Administration of Taxation, Directorate General of Taxation of Costa Rica.

China: At a glance

China (sometimes abbreviated PRC) is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 9,326,410 sq km. For centuries China stood as a leading civilization, outpacing the rest of the world in the arts and sciences, but in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the country was beset by civil unrest, major famines, military defeats, and foreign occupation. After World War II, the communists under MAO Zedong established an autocratic socialist system that, while ensuring China's sovereignty, imposed strict controls over everyday life and cost the lives of tens of millions of people. After 1978, MAO's successor DENG Xiaoping and other leaders focused on market-oriented economic development and by 2000 output had quadrupled. For much of the population, living standards have improved dramatically and the room for personal choice has expanded, yet political controls remain tight. Since the early 1990s, China has increased its global outreach and participation in international organizations.
Read more

How big is China compared to Costa Rica? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about China.or Costa Rica It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.