Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Cote d'Ivoire instead of Costa Rica, you would:

Health

be 59.9% less likely to be obese

In Costa Rica, 25.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Cote d'Ivoire, that number is 10.3% of people as of 2016.

be 5.2 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 Cote d'Ivoire, that number is 2.1% of people as of 2020.

live 17.4 years less

In Costa Rica, the average life expectancy is 80 years (77 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2022. In Cote d'Ivoire, that number is 62 years (60 years for men, 65 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

be 71.1% less likely to be unemployed

In Costa Rica, 8.3% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Cote d'Ivoire, that number is 2.4% as of 2023.

make 72.9% less money

Costa Rica has a GDP per capita of $25,800 as of 2023, while in Cote d'Ivoire, the GDP per capita is $7,000 as of 2023.

be 47.1% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Costa Rica, 25.5% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Cote d'Ivoire, however, that number is 37.5% as of 2021.

Life

have 2.5 times more children

In Costa Rica, there are approximately 10.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Cote d'Ivoire, there are 27.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 21.8 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 Cote d'Ivoire, 480.0 women do as of 2020.

be 6.6 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 Cote d'Ivoire, on the other hand, 55.7 children do as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 29.6% less likely to have access to electricity

In Costa Rica, approximately 100% of the population has electricity access as of 2022. In Cote d'Ivoire, 70% of the population do as of 2022.

be 45.8% less likely to have internet access

In Costa Rica, approximately 83.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Cote d'Ivoire, about 45.0% do as of 2021.

be 20.2% 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 Cote d'Ivoire, that number is 80% of people on average (90% in urban areas, and 69% in rural areas) as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 49.3% less on education

Costa Rica spends 6.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Cote d'Ivoire spends 3.4% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 58.2% less on healthcare

Costa Rica spends 7.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Cote d'Ivoire, that number is 3.3% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 60.1% less coastline

Costa Rica has a total of 1,290 km of coastline. In Cote d'Ivoire, that number is 515 km.

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

Cote d'Ivoire: At a glance

Cote d'Ivoire is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 318,003 sq km. Close ties to France following independence in 1960, the development of cocoa production for export, and foreign investment all made Cote d'Ivoire one of the most prosperous of the West African states but did not protect it from political turmoil. In December 1999, a military coup - the first ever in Cote d'Ivoire's history - overthrew the government. Junta leader Robert GUEI blatantly rigged elections held in late 2000 and declared himself the winner. Popular protest forced him to step aside and brought Laurent GBAGBO into power. Ivorian dissidents and disaffected members of the military launched a failed coup attempt in September 2002 that developed into a rebellion and then a civil war. The war ended in 2003 with a cease fire that left the country divided with the rebels holding the north, the government the south, and peacekeeping forces a buffer zone between the two. In March 2007, President GBAGBO and former New Forces rebel leader Guillaume SORO signed an agreement in which SORO joined GBAGBO's government as prime minister and the two agreed to reunite the country by dismantling the buffer zone, integrating rebel forces into the national armed forces, and holding elections. Difficulties in preparing electoral registers delayed balloting until 2010. In November 2010, Alassane Dramane OUATTARA won the presidential election over GBAGBO, but GBAGBO refused to hand over power, resulting in a five-month stand-off. In April 2011, after widespread fighting, GBAGBO was formally forced from office by armed OUATTARA supporters with the help of UN and French forces. Several thousand UN peacekeepers and several hundred French troops remain in Cote d'Ivoire to support the transition process. OUATTARA is focused on rebuilding the country's infrastructure and military after the five months of post-electoral fighting and faces ongoing threats from GBAGBO supporters, many of whom have sought shelter in Ghana. GBAGBO is in The Hague awaiting trial for crimes against humanity.
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How big is Cote d'Ivoire compared to Costa Rica? See an in-depth size comparison.

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