Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Jamaica instead of Dominican Republic, you would:
Health
be 59.8% less likely to die by suicide
Dominican Republic has a suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Jamaica, it is 1.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 10.0% more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Dominican Republic, 1.0% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Jamaica, that number is 1.1% of people as of 2024.
live 2.3 years less
In Dominican Republic, the average life expectancy is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024. In Jamaica, that number is 72 years (69 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.
be 14.4% more likely to be obese
In Dominican Republic, 30.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Jamaica, that number is 35.2% of people as of 2024.
see 25.7% less spent on your healthcare
Dominican Republic spends $1,169 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Jamaica spends $869 as of 2023.
have 81.0% fewer doctors per person
Dominican Republic has 24.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Jamaica has 4.6 as of 2023.
Economy
be 35.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Dominican Republic, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Jamaica, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.
be 54.9% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Dominican Republic, 17.3% live below the poverty line as of 2025. In Jamaica, however, that number is 7.8% as of 2024.
make 27.6% less money
Dominican Republic has a GDP per capita of $11,059 as of 2025, while in Jamaica, the GDP per capita is $8,003 as of 2025.
Life
be 40.8% less likely to die during infancy
In Dominican Republic, approximately 27.7 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Jamaica, on the other hand, 16.4 children do as of 2024.
have 35.0% fewer children
In Dominican Republic, there are approximately 17.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Jamaica, there are 11.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 10.2% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Dominican Republic, approximately 97% of people have access to drinking water (98% in urban areas, and 95% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Jamaica, that number is 88% of people on average (90% in urban areas, and 84% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 46.5% more on education
Dominican Republic spends 3.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Jamaica spends 5.5% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 65.2% more on healthcare
Dominican Republic spends 4.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Jamaica, that number is 7.6% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 20.7% less coastline
Dominican Republic has a total of 1,288 km of coastline. In Jamaica, that number is 1,022 km.
Safety
be 75.9% more likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Dominican Republic, 40% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2022. In Jamaica, that number is 70% as of 2019.
be 35.0% less likely to die in a road accident
In Dominican Republic, road accidents kill 27.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Jamaica, they kill 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 4.5 times more likely to be murdered
Dominican Republic has a homicide rate of 10.9 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Jamaica, that number is 49.4 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 42.7% more home broadband
Dominican Republic has 11.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Jamaica has 16.0 as of 2024.
live with 68.7% less strain on fresh water
Dominican Republic withdraws 40% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Jamaica withdraws 12% as of 2022.
use 35.5% less electricity
Dominican Republic uses 1,867 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Jamaica uses 1,205 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 18.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Dominican Republic, air pollution causes 27.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Jamaica, it causes 22.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Dominican Republic vs. Jamaica
Jamaica: At a glance
How big is Jamaica compared to Dominican Republic? See an in-depth size comparison.