Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 17.5% less likely to be obese

In Costa Rica, 25.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Guatemala, that number is 21.2% of people as of 2016.

live 6.7 years less

In Costa Rica, the average life expectancy is 80 years (77 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2022. In Guatemala, that number is 73 years (71 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

be 67.3% less likely to be unemployed

In Costa Rica, 8.3% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Guatemala, that number is 2.7% as of 2023.

pay a 53.3% lower top tax rate

Costa Rica has a top tax rate of 15.0% as of 2016. In Guatemala, the top tax rate is 7.0% as of 2016.

make 50.8% less money

Costa Rica has a GDP per capita of $25,800 as of 2023, while in Guatemala, the GDP per capita is $12,700 as of 2023.

be 2.3 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In Costa Rica, 25.5% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Guatemala, however, that number is 59.3% as of 2014.

Life

have 98.1% more children

In Costa Rica, there are approximately 10.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Guatemala, there are 21.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 4.4 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 Guatemala, 96.0 women do as of 2020.

be 15.0% less likely to be literate

In Costa Rica, the literacy rate is 98.0% as of 2021. In Guatemala, it is 83.3% as of 2021.

be 3.1 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 Guatemala, on the other hand, 26.2 children do as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 38.6% less likely to have internet access

In Costa Rica, approximately 83.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Guatemala, about 51.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 53.7% less on education

Costa Rica spends 6.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Guatemala spends 3.1% of total GDP on education as of 2021.

spend 17.7% less on healthcare

Costa Rica spends 7.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Guatemala, that number is 6.5% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 69.0% less coastline

Costa Rica has a total of 1,290 km of coastline. In Guatemala, that number is 400 km.

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

Guatemala: At a glance

Guatemala is a sovereign country in Central America/Caribbean, with a total land area of approximately 107,159 sq km. The Maya civilization flourished in Guatemala and surrounding regions during the first millennium A.D. After almost three centuries as a Spanish colony, Guatemala won its independence in 1821. During the second half of the 20th century, it experienced a variety of military and civilian governments, as well as a 36-year guerrilla war. In 1996, the government signed a peace agreement formally ending the internal conflict, which had left more than 200,000 people dead and had created, by some estimates, about 1 million refugees.
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How big is Guatemala compared to Costa Rica? See an in-depth size comparison.

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