Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 1.8 years longer

In Costa Rica, the average life expectancy is 80 years (77 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2022. In Greece, that number is 81 years (79 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

make 40.7% more money

Costa Rica has a GDP per capita of $25,800 as of 2023, while in Greece, the GDP per capita is $36,300 as of 2023.

be 26.3% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Costa Rica, 25.5% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Greece, however, that number is 18.8% as of 2021.

be 32.5% more likely to be unemployed

In Costa Rica, 8.3% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Greece, that number is 11.0% as of 2023.

pay a 3.2 times higher top tax rate

Costa Rica has a top tax rate of 15.0% as of 2016. In Greece, the top tax rate is 48.0% 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 Greece, 8.0 women do as of 2020.

be 57.7% 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 Greece, on the other hand, 3.5 children do as of 2022.

have 31.5% fewer children

In Costa Rica, there are approximately 10.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Greece, there are 7.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Expenditures

spend 34.3% less on education

Costa Rica spends 6.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Greece spends 4.4% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 20.3% more on healthcare

Costa Rica spends 7.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Greece, that number is 9.5% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 10.6 times more coastline

Costa Rica has a total of 1,290 km of coastline. In Greece, that number is 13,676 km.

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

Greece: At a glance

Greece is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 130,647 sq km. Greece achieved independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1830. During the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, it gradually added neighboring islands and territories, most with Greek-speaking populations. In World War II, Greece was first invaded by Italy (1940) and subsequently occupied by Germany (1941-44); fighting endured in a protracted civil war between supporters of the king and other anti-communist and communist rebels. Following the latter's defeat in 1949, Greece joined NATO in 1952. In 1967, a group of military officers seized power, establishing a military dictatorship that suspended many political liberties and forced the king to flee the country. In 1974, democratic elections and a referendum created a parliamentary republic and abolished the monarchy. In 1981, Greece joined the EC (now the EU); it became the 12th member of the European Economic and Monetary Union in 2001. In 2010, the prospect of a Greek default on its euro-denominated debt created severe strains within the EMU and raised the question of whether a member country might voluntarily leave the common currency or be removed.
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How big is Greece compared to Costa Rica? See an in-depth size comparison.

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