Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 12.5% less likely to be obese

In Costa Rica, 25.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Romania, that number is 22.5% of people as of 2016.

live 3.9 years less

In Costa Rica, the average life expectancy is 80 years (77 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2022. In Romania, that number is 76 years (72 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

make 57.0% more money

Costa Rica has a GDP per capita of $25,800 as of 2023, while in Romania, the GDP per capita is $40,500 as of 2023.

be 32.5% less likely to be unemployed

In Costa Rica, 8.3% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Romania, that number is 5.6% as of 2023.

be 16.9% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Costa Rica, 25.5% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Romania, however, that number is 21.2% as of 2021.

Life

be 54.5% less likely to die during childbirth

In Costa Rica, approximately 22.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Romania, 10.0 women do as of 2020.

be 30.4% 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 Romania, on the other hand, 5.8 children do as of 2022.

have 21.3% fewer children

In Costa Rica, there are approximately 10.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Romania, there are 8.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Expenditures

spend 44.8% less on education

Costa Rica spends 6.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Romania spends 3.7% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 20.3% less on healthcare

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

Geography

see 82.6% less coastline

Costa Rica has a total of 1,290 km of coastline. In Romania, that number is 225 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

Romania: At a glance

Romania is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 229,891 sq km. The principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia - for centuries under the suzerainty of the Turkish Ottoman Empire - secured their autonomy in 1856; they were de facto linked in 1859 and formally united in 1862 under the new name of Romania. The country gained recognition of its independence in 1878. It joined the Allied Powers in World War I and acquired new territories - most notably Transylvania - following the conflict. In 1940, Romania allied with the Axis powers and participated in the 1941 German invasion of the USSR. Three years later, overrun by the Soviets, Romania signed an armistice. The post-war Soviet occupation led to the formation of a communist "people's republic" in 1947 and the abdication of the king. The decades-long rule of dictator Nicolae CEAUSESCU, who took power in 1965, and his Securitate police state became increasingly oppressive and draconian through the 1980s. CEAUSESCU was overthrown and executed in late 1989. Former communists dominated the government until 1996 when they were swept from power. Romania joined NATO in 2004 and the EU in 2007.
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How big is Romania compared to Costa Rica? See an in-depth size comparison.

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