Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Puerto Rico instead of Cameroon, you would:
Health
live 17.9 years longer
In Cameroon, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 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 36.2% less likely to die by suicide
Cameroon has a suicide rate of 8.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Puerto Rico, it is 5.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.6 times more likely to be obese
In Cameroon, 16.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, that number is 42.4% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 20.6 times more money
Cameroon has a GDP per capita of $1,972 as of 2025, while in Puerto Rico, the GDP per capita is $40,620 as of 2025.
be 66.4% more likely to be unemployed
In Cameroon, 3.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Puerto Rico, that number is 6.0% as of 2025.
Life
be 95.7% less likely to die during childbirth
In Cameroon, approximately 258.0 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 27.4% more likely to be literate
In Cameroon, the literacy rate is 72.5% as of 2018. In Puerto Rico, it is 92.4% as of 2021.
be 85.0% less likely to die during infancy
In Cameroon, approximately 40.2 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 82.9% fewer children
In Cameroon, there are approximately 33.3 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 38.9% more likely to have access to electricity
In Cameroon, approximately 72% of people have electricity access (96% in urban areas, and 26% 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 88.7% more likely to have internet access
In Cameroon, approximately 46.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, about 87.3% do as of 2022.
be 40.0% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Cameroon, approximately 71% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, 100% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 50.4% more on education
Cameroon spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Puerto Rico spends 4.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 24.6% more coastline
Cameroon has a total of 402 km of coastline. In Puerto Rico, that number is 501 km.
Safety
be 2.2 times more likely to be murdered
Cameroon has a homicide rate of 6.8 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Puerto Rico, that number is 14.6 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 17.9% more likely to die in a road accident
In Cameroon, road accidents kill 10.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Puerto Rico, they kill 12.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 13.1 times more home broadband
Cameroon has 2.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Puerto Rico has 28.0 as of 2024.
live with 12.5 times more strain on fresh water
Cameroon withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Puerto Rico withdraws 20% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 13.8 times more CO2
Cameroon 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 (2018–2025), The World Factbook (2021–2022), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Cameroon vs. Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico: At a glance
How big is Puerto Rico compared to Cameroon? See an in-depth size comparison.