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

Health

be 42.6% less likely to die by suicide

Canada has a suicide rate of 9.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Puerto Rico, it is 5.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 63.2% more likely to be obese

In Canada, 26.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, that number is 42.4% of people as of 2024.

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Economy

be 13.3% less likely to be unemployed

In Canada, 6.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Puerto Rico, that number is 6.0% as of 2025.

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make 27.1% less money

Canada has a GDP per capita of $55,698 as of 2025, while in Puerto Rico, the GDP per capita is $40,620 as of 2025.

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Life

be 28.5% more likely to die during infancy

In Canada, approximately 4.7 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 36.0% fewer children

In Canada, there are approximately 8.9 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 11.8% less on education

Canada spends 4.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Puerto Rico spends 4.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

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Geography

see 99.8% less coastline

Canada has a total of 202,080 km of coastline. In Puerto Rico, that number is 501 km.

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Safety

be 7.4 times more likely to be murdered

Canada has a homicide rate of 2.0 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Puerto Rico, that number is 14.6 per 100,000 as of 2023.

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be 2.7 times more likely to die in a road accident

In Canada, road accidents kill 4.7 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 34.2% less home broadband

Canada has 42.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Puerto Rico has 28.0 as of 2024.

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live with 5.3 times more strain on fresh water

Canada withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Puerto Rico withdraws 20% as of 2022.

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Environment

emit 65.6% less CO2

Canada emits 14.0 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 Canada? See an in-depth size comparison.

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