If you lived in Puerto Rico instead of Bahamas, you would:

Health

live 7.2 years longer

In Bahamas, the average life expectancy is 75 years (71 years for men, 78 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.

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be 12.2% less likely to be obese

In Bahamas, 48.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, that number is 42.4% of people as of 2024.

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be 66.8% more likely to die by suicide

Bahamas has a suicide rate of 3.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Puerto Rico, it is 5.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 35.0% less likely to be unemployed

In Bahamas, 9.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Puerto Rico, that number is 6.0% as of 2025.

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Life

be 85.5% less likely to die during childbirth

In Bahamas, approximately 76.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Puerto Rico, 11.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 45.6% less likely to die during infancy

In Bahamas, approximately 11.1 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.

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have 47.3% fewer children

In Bahamas, there are approximately 10.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, there are 5.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 55.8% more on education

Bahamas spends 2.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Puerto Rico spends 4.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

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Geography

see 85.9% less coastline

Bahamas has a total of 3,542 km of coastline. In Puerto Rico, that number is 501 km.

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Safety

be 54.7% less likely to be murdered

Bahamas has a homicide rate of 32.2 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Puerto Rico, that number is 14.6 per 100,000 as of 2023.

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be 22.8% less likely to die in a road accident

In Bahamas, road accidents kill 16.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Puerto Rico, they kill 12.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 10.8% more home broadband

Bahamas has 25.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Puerto Rico has 28.0 as of 2024.

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Environment

emit 32.4% more CO2

Bahamas emits 3.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Puerto Rico emits 4.8 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), The World Factbook (2022), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this

Puerto Rico: At a glance

Puerto Rico is a territory in Central America/Caribbean, with a total land area of approximately 8,959 sq km. Populated for centuries by aboriginal peoples, the island was claimed by the Spanish Crown in 1493 following Christopher COLUMBUS' second voyage to the Americas. In 1898, after 400 years of colonial rule that saw the indigenous population nearly exterminated and African slave labor introduced, Puerto Rico was ceded to the US as a result of the Spanish-American War. Puerto Ricans were granted US citizenship in 1917. Popularly-elected governors have served since 1948. In 1952, a constitution was enacted providing for internal self government. In plebiscites held in 1967, 1993, and 1998, voters chose not to alter the existing political status with the US, but the results of a 2012 vote left open the possibility of American statehood.
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How big is Puerto Rico compared to Bahamas? See an in-depth size comparison.

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