Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Puerto Rico instead of Afghanistan, you would:
Health
live 15.6 years longer
In Afghanistan, the average life expectancy is 66 years (65 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, that number is 82 years (78 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024.
be 2.1 times more likely to be obese
In Afghanistan, 20.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, that number is 42.4% of people as of 2024.
be 50.6% more likely to die by suicide
Afghanistan has a suicide rate of 3.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Puerto Rico, it is 5.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 55.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Afghanistan, 13.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Puerto Rico, that number is 6.0% as of 2025.
make 97.4 times more money
Afghanistan has a GDP per capita of $417 as of 2024, while in Puerto Rico, the GDP per capita is $40,620 as of 2025.
Life
be 97.9% less likely to die during childbirth
In Afghanistan, approximately 521.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Puerto Rico, 11.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.5 times more likely to be literate
In Afghanistan, the literacy rate is 37.3% as of 2021. In Puerto Rico, it is 92.4% as of 2021.
be 87.5% less likely to die during infancy
In Afghanistan, approximately 48.3 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, on the other hand, 6.0 children do as of 2022.
have 83.7% fewer children
In Afghanistan, there are approximately 35.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, there are 5.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 17.2% more likely to have access to electricity
In Afghanistan, approximately 85% of people have electricity access (96% in urban areas, and 81% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Puerto Rico, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 5.4 times more likely to have internet access
In Afghanistan, approximately 16.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, about 87.3% do as of 2022.
be 23.7% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Afghanistan, approximately 81% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, 100% of people do as of 2024.
Safety
be 48.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In Afghanistan, road accidents kill 24.1 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Puerto Rico, they kill 12.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 3.6 times more likely to be murdered
Afghanistan has a homicide rate of 4.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Puerto Rico, that number is 14.6 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 349.9 times more home broadband
Afghanistan has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Puerto Rico has 28.0 as of 2024.
live with 64.3% less strain on fresh water
Afghanistan withdraws 55% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Puerto Rico withdraws 20% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 17.2 times more CO2
Afghanistan emits 0.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Puerto Rico emits 4.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021–2022), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Afghanistan vs. Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico: At a glance
How big is Puerto Rico compared to Afghanistan? See an in-depth size comparison.