Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 2.5 years longer

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

be 20.6% less likely to be obese

In Costa Rica, 25.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Netherlands, that number is 20.4% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 2.7 times more money

Costa Rica has a GDP per capita of $25,800 as of 2023, while in Netherlands, the GDP per capita is $69,300 as of 2023.

be 57.1% less likely to be unemployed

In Costa Rica, 8.3% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Netherlands, that number is 3.6% as of 2023.

be 43.1% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Costa Rica, 25.5% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Netherlands, however, that number is 14.5% as of 2021.

pay a 3.5 times higher top tax rate

Costa Rica has a top tax rate of 15.0% as of 2016. In Netherlands, the top tax rate is 52.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 81.8% less likely to die during childbirth

In Costa Rica, approximately 22.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Netherlands, 4.0 women do as of 2020.

be 59.5% 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 Netherlands, on the other hand, 3.4 children do as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 10.8% more likely to have internet access

In Costa Rica, approximately 83.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Netherlands, about 92.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 20.9% less on education

Costa Rica spends 6.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Netherlands spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 40.5% more on healthcare

Costa Rica spends 7.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Netherlands, that number is 11.1% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 65.0% less coastline

Costa Rica has a total of 1,290 km of coastline. In Netherlands, that number is 451 km.

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

Netherlands: At a glance

Netherlands is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 33,893 sq km. The Dutch United Provinces declared their independence from Spain in 1579; during the 17th century, they became a leading seafaring and commercial power, with settlements and colonies around the world. After a 20-year French occupation, a Kingdom of the Netherlands was formed in 1815. In 1830 Belgium seceded and formed a separate kingdom. The Netherlands remained neutral in World War I, but suffered invasion and occupation by Germany in World War II. A modern, industrialized nation, the Netherlands is also a large exporter of agricultural products. The country was a founding member of NATO and the EEC (now the EU) and participated in the introduction of the euro in 1999. In October 2010, the former Netherlands Antilles was dissolved and the three smallest islands - Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba - became special municipalities in the Netherlands administrative structure. The larger islands of Sint Maarten and Curacao joined the Netherlands and Aruba as constituent countries forming the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
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How big is Netherlands compared to Costa Rica? See an in-depth size comparison.

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