Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 2.1 years longer

In Costa Rica, the average life expectancy is 80 years (77 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2022. In Finland, that number is 82 years (79 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2022.

be 13.6% less likely to be obese

In Costa Rica, 25.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Finland, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 2.2 times more money

Costa Rica has a GDP per capita of $25,800 as of 2023, while in Finland, the GDP per capita is $57,500 as of 2023.

be 13.7% less likely to be unemployed

In Costa Rica, 8.3% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Finland, that number is 7.2% as of 2023.

be 52.2% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Costa Rica, 25.5% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Finland, however, that number is 12.2% as of 2022.

pay a 3.4 times higher top tax rate

Costa Rica has a top tax rate of 15.0% as of 2016. In Finland, the top tax rate is 51.6% as of 2016.

Life

be 63.6% less likely to die during childbirth

In Costa Rica, approximately 22.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Finland, 8.0 women do as of 2020.

be 74.6% 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 Finland, on the other hand, 2.1 children do as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 12.0% more likely to have internet access

In Costa Rica, approximately 83.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Finland, about 93.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 11.9% less on education

Costa Rica spends 6.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Finland spends 5.9% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 21.5% more on healthcare

Costa Rica spends 7.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Finland, that number is 9.6% of GDP as of 2020.

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

Finland: At a glance

Finland is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 303,815 sq km. Finland was a province and then a grand duchy under Sweden from the 12th to the 19th centuries, and an autonomous grand duchy of Russia after 1809. It gained complete independence in 1917. During World War II, it successfully defended its independence through cooperation with Germany and resisted subsequent invasions by the Soviet Union - albeit with some loss of territory. In the subsequent half century, Finland transformed from a farm/forest economy to a diversified modern industrial economy; per capita income is among the highest in Western Europe. A member of the European Union since 1995, Finland was the only Nordic state to join the euro single currency at its initiation in January 1999. In the 21st century, the key features of Finland's modern welfare state are high quality education, promotion of equality, and a national social welfare system - currently challenged by an aging population and the fluctuations of an export-driven economy.
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How big is Finland compared to Costa Rica? See an in-depth size comparison.

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