Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 3.0 years longer

In Costa Rica, the average life expectancy is 80 years (77 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2022. In France, that number is 83 years (80 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2022.

be 16.0% less likely to be obese

In Costa Rica, 25.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In France, that number is 21.6% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 2.1 times more money

Costa Rica has a GDP per capita of $25,800 as of 2023, while in France, the GDP per capita is $55,200 as of 2023.

be 11.8% less likely to be unemployed

In Costa Rica, 8.3% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In France, that number is 7.3% as of 2023.

be 38.8% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Costa Rica, 25.5% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In France, however, that number is 15.6% as of 2021.

pay a 3.3 times higher top tax rate

Costa Rica has a top tax rate of 15.0% as of 2016. In France, the top tax rate is 50.2% 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 France, 8.0 women do as of 2020.

be 62.5% 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 France, on the other hand, 3.1 children do as of 2022.

Expenditures

spend 17.9% less on education

Costa Rica spends 6.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. France spends 5.5% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 54.4% more on healthcare

Costa Rica spends 7.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In France, that number is 12.2% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 3.8 times more coastline

Costa Rica has a total of 1,290 km of coastline. In France, that number is 4,853 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Direction Générale des Finances Publiques, Directorate General of Taxation of Costa Rica.

France: At a glance

France is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 549,970 sq km. France today is one of the most modern countries in the world and is a leader among European nations. It plays an influential global role as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, NATO, the G-8, the G-20, the EU and other multilateral organizations. France rejoined NATO's integrated military command structure in 2009, reversing DE GAULLE's 1966 decision to take French forces out of NATO. Since 1958, it has constructed a hybrid presidential-parliamentary governing system resistant to the instabilities experienced in earlier, more purely parliamentary administrations. In recent decades, its reconciliation and cooperation with Germany have proved central to the economic integration of Europe, including the introduction of a common currency, the euro, in January 1999. In the early 21st century, five French overseas entities - French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte, and Reunion - became French regions and were made part of France proper.
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How big is France compared to Costa Rica? See an in-depth size comparison.

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