Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 22.6% less likely to be obese

In Costa Rica, 25.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Ecuador, that number is 19.9% of people as of 2016.

live 2.1 years less

In Costa Rica, the average life expectancy is 80 years (77 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2022. In Ecuador, that number is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2020.

Economy

be 59.4% less likely to be unemployed

In Costa Rica, 8.3% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Ecuador, that number is 3.4% as of 2023.

make 44.6% less money

Costa Rica has a GDP per capita of $25,800 as of 2023, while in Ecuador, the GDP per capita is $14,300 as of 2023.

pay a 2.3 times higher top tax rate

Costa Rica has a top tax rate of 15.0% as of 2016. In Ecuador, the top tax rate is 35.0% as of 2016.

Life

have 63.9% more children

In Costa Rica, there are approximately 10.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Ecuador, there are 17.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 3.0 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 Ecuador, 66.0 women do as of 2020.

be 2.2 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 Ecuador, on the other hand, 18.1 children do as of 2022.

Expenditures

spend 44.8% less on education

Costa Rica spends 6.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Ecuador spends 3.7% of total GDP on education as of 2021.

Geography

see 73.4% more coastline

Costa Rica has a total of 1,290 km of coastline. In Ecuador, that number is 2,237 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Servicio de Rentas Internas del Ecuador, Directorate General of Taxation of Costa Rica.

Ecuador: At a glance

Ecuador is a sovereign country in South America, with a total land area of approximately 276,841 sq km. What is now Ecuador formed part of the northern Inca Empire until the Spanish conquest in 1533. Quito became a seat of Spanish colonial government in 1563 and part of the Viceroyalty of New Granada in 1717. The territories of the Viceroyalty - New Granada (Colombia), Venezuela, and Quito - gained their independence between 1819 and 1822 and formed a federation known as Gran Colombia. When Quito withdrew in 1830, the traditional name was changed in favor of the "Republic of the Equator." Between 1904 and 1942, Ecuador lost territories in a series of conflicts with its neighbors. A border war with Peru that flared in 1995 was resolved in 1999. Although Ecuador marked 30 years of civilian governance in 2004, the period was marred by political instability. Protests in Quito contributed to the mid-term ouster of three of Ecuador's last four democratically elected presidents. In late 2008, voters approved a new constitution, Ecuador's 20th since gaining independence. General elections were held in February 2013, and voters re-elected President Rafael CORREA.
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How big is Ecuador compared to Costa Rica? See an in-depth size comparison.

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