Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Puerto Rico instead of China, you would:
Health
live 3.9 years longer
In China, the average life expectancy is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 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 39.4% less likely to die by suicide
China has a suicide rate of 8.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Puerto Rico, it is 5.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 4.6 times more likely to be obese
In China, 9.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, that number is 42.4% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 2.9 times more money
China has a GDP per capita of $13,862 as of 2025, while in Puerto Rico, the GDP per capita is $40,620 as of 2025.
be 29.7% more likely to be unemployed
In China, 4.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Puerto Rico, that number is 6.0% as of 2025.
Life
be 31.2% less likely to die during childbirth
In China, approximately 16.0 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 47.3% more likely to die during infancy
In China, approximately 4.1 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.
have 15.8% fewer children
In China, there are approximately 6.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, there are 5.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Geography
see 96.5% less coastline
China has a total of 14,500 km of coastline. In Puerto Rico, that number is 501 km.
Safety
be 28.2% less likely to die in a road accident
In China, road accidents kill 17.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Puerto Rico, they kill 12.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 29.2 times more likely to be murdered
China has a homicide rate of 0.5 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Puerto Rico, that number is 14.6 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
live with 52.9% less strain on fresh water
China withdraws 42% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Puerto Rico withdraws 20% as of 2022.
find 40.7% less home broadband
China has 47.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Puerto Rico has 28.0 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 48.3% less CO2
China emits 9.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Puerto Rico emits 4.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), The World Factbook (2022), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: China vs. Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico: At a glance
How big is Puerto Rico compared to China? See an in-depth size comparison.