Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Vietnam, you would:
Health
live 4.1 years longer
In Vietnam, the average life expectancy is 76 years (73 years for men, 78 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 12.2 times more likely to be obese
In Vietnam, 2.1% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Costa Rica, that number is 25.7% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 88.3% more money
Vietnam has a GDP per capita of $13,700 as of 2023, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $25,800 as of 2023.
pay a 57.1% lower top tax rate
Vietnam has a top tax rate of 35.0% as of 2016. In Costa Rica, the top tax rate is 15.0% as of 2016.
be 5.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In Vietnam, 1.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 8.3% as of 2023.
be 5.3 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Vietnam, 4.8% live below the poverty line as of 2020. In Costa Rica, however, that number is 25.5% as of 2022.
Life
be 82.3% less likely to die during childbirth
In Vietnam, approximately 124.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Costa Rica, 22.0 women do as of 2020.
be 43.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Vietnam, approximately 14.8 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 27.5% fewer children
In Vietnam, there are approximately 14.9 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 12.2% more likely to have internet access
In Vietnam, approximately 74.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Costa Rica, about 83.0% do as of 2021.
Expenditures
spend 63.4% more on education
Vietnam spends 4.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Costa Rica spends 6.7% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 68.1% more on healthcare
Vietnam spends 4.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Costa Rica, that number is 7.9% of GDP as of 2020.
Geography
see 62.5% less coastline
Vietnam has a total of 3,444 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, General Department Of Taxation - Ministry Of Finance, Directorate General of Taxation of Costa Rica.
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Vietnam? See an in-depth size comparison.