Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 23.3% less likely to be obese

In Costa Rica, 25.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Peru, that number is 19.7% of people as of 2016.

live 10.7 years less

In Costa Rica, the average life expectancy is 80 years (77 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2022. In Peru, that number is 69 years (65 years for men, 73 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

be 41.9% less likely to be unemployed

In Costa Rica, 8.3% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Peru, that number is 4.8% as of 2023.

make 41.5% less money

Costa Rica has a GDP per capita of $25,800 as of 2023, while in Peru, the GDP per capita is $15,100 as of 2023.

pay a 100.0% higher top tax rate

Costa Rica has a top tax rate of 15.0% as of 2016. In Peru, the top tax rate is 30.0% as of 2016.

Life

have 54.6% more children

In Costa Rica, there are approximately 10.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Peru, there are 16.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 3.1 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 Peru, 69.0 women do as of 2020.

be 28.7% 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 Peru, on the other hand, 10.8 children do as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 14.5% less likely to have internet access

In Costa Rica, approximately 83.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Peru, about 71.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 40.3% less on education

Costa Rica spends 6.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Peru spends 4.0% of total GDP on education as of 2021.

spend 20.3% less on healthcare

Costa Rica spends 7.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Peru, that number is 6.3% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 87.1% more coastline

Costa Rica has a total of 1,290 km of coastline. In Peru, that number is 2,414 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Superintendencia Nacional de Aduanas y de Administración Tributaria, Directorate General of Taxation of Costa Rica.

Peru: At a glance

Peru is a sovereign country in South America, with a total land area of approximately 1,279,996 sq km. Ancient Peru was the seat of several prominent Andean civilizations, most notably that of the Incas whose empire was captured by Spanish conquistadors in 1533. Peruvian independence was declared in 1821, and remaining Spanish forces were defeated in 1824. After a dozen years of military rule, Peru returned to democratic leadership in 1980, but experienced economic problems and the growth of a violent insurgency. President Alberto FUJIMORI's election in 1990 ushered in a decade that saw a dramatic turnaround in the economy and significant progress in curtailing guerrilla activity. Nevertheless, the president's increasing reliance on authoritarian measures and an economic slump in the late 1990s generated mounting dissatisfaction with his regime, which led to his resignation in 2000. A caretaker government oversaw new elections in the spring of 2001, which installed Alejandro TOLEDO Manrique as the new head of government - Peru's first democratically elected president of indigenous ethnicity. The presidential election of 2006 saw the return of Alan GARCIA Perez who, after a disappointing presidential term from 1985 to 1990, oversaw a robust economic rebound. In June 2011, former army officer Ollanta HUMALA Tasso was elected president, defeating Keiko FUJIMORI Higuchi, the daughter of Alberto FUJIMORI. Since his election, HUMALA has carried on the sound, market-oriented economic policies of the three preceding administrations.
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How big is Peru compared to Costa Rica? See an in-depth size comparison.

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