Costa Rica Tops Latin American Countries in Social Progress

When it comes to choosing a place to relocate or to retire, it is important to consider numerous factors. One of the factors to consider when planning to move abroad is social progress. Recently, Costa Rica topped the list of countries in Latin America in terms of well-being. This is according to data released by the Social Progress Imperative, an organization dedicated to understanding the progress made by countries on a variety of different measures, such as technology, education, and health.

Why exactly is it that Costa Rica is performing so well when it comes to social progress? Among the areas in which Costa Rica does particularly well is nutrition and basic medical care. Additionally, by focusing on personal safety, Costa Rica offers significant opportunity for improvements in human well-being. Costa Rica also performs quite well at offering necessary building blocks for residents to advance their lives, such as greater investments in ecosystem sustainability and access to basic knowledge. Additionally, Costa Rica also tends to outperform in issues related to the opportunity for residents to improve their position in society.

According to the Social Progress Index, gross domestic product on its own is not an accurate measurement of the social progress of a nation. The organization defined social progress as the ability of a society to meet its citizens' basic human needs and establish building blocks that make it possible for citizens to enhance the quality of their lives and create conditions that make it possible for citizens to achieve their full potential.

Further studies show that the average Costa Rican has a quality of life similar to that of residents of many European countries, including Italy and Spain. Along with being the top country in Latin America, Costa Rica is ranked 25th in the world.