Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Philippines, you would:
Health
live 9.5 years longer
In Philippines, the average life expectancy is 70 years (67 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2022. In Costa Rica, that number is 80 years (77 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2022.
be 4.0 times more likely to be obese
In Philippines, 6.4% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Costa Rica, that number is 25.7% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 2.7 times more money
Philippines has a GDP per capita of $9,700 as of 2023, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $25,800 as of 2023.
pay a 53.1% lower top tax rate
Philippines has a top tax rate of 32.0% as of 2016. In Costa Rica, the top tax rate is 15.0% as of 2016.
be 3.7 times more likely to be unemployed
In Philippines, 2.2% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 8.3% as of 2023.
be 40.9% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Philippines, 18.1% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Costa Rica, however, that number is 25.5% as of 2022.
Life
be 71.8% less likely to die during childbirth
In Philippines, approximately 78.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Costa Rica, 22.0 women do as of 2020.
be 62.3% less likely to die during infancy
In Philippines, approximately 22.2 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Costa Rica, on the other hand, 8.4 children do as of 2022.
have 51.1% fewer children
In Philippines, there are approximately 22.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Costa Rica, there are 10.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 56.6% more likely to have internet access
In Philippines, approximately 53.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Costa Rica, about 83.0% do as of 2021.
Expenditures
spend 81.1% more on education
Philippines spends 3.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Costa Rica spends 6.7% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 54.9% more on healthcare
Philippines spends 5.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Costa Rica, that number is 7.9% of GDP as of 2020.
Geography
see 96.4% less coastline
Philippines has a total of 36,289 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Bureau of Internal Revenue, Directorate General of Taxation of Costa Rica.
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Philippines? See an in-depth size comparison.