If you lived in Jamaica instead of Dominican Republic, you would:

Health

live 3.2 years longer

In Dominican Republic, the average life expectancy is 73 years (71 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2022. In Jamaica, that number is 76 years (74 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2022.

be 10.5% less likely to be obese

In Dominican Republic, 27.6% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Jamaica, that number is 24.7% of people as of 2016.

be 55.6% more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Dominican Republic, 0.9% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Jamaica, that number is 1.4% of people as of 2020.

Economy

be 18.6% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Dominican Republic, 21.0% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Jamaica, however, that number is 17.1% as of 2016.

make 48.8% less money

Dominican Republic has a GDP per capita of $17,000 as of 2020, while in Jamaica, the GDP per capita is $8,700 as of 2020.

be 51.4% more likely to be unemployed

In Dominican Republic, 5.1% of adults are unemployed as of 2017. In Jamaica, that number is 7.7% as of 2019.

Life

be 15.8% less likely to die during childbirth

In Dominican Republic, approximately 95.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Jamaica, 80.0 women do as of 2017.

be 47.3% less likely to die during infancy

In Dominican Republic, approximately 21.2 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Jamaica, on the other hand, 11.2 children do as of 2022.

have 11.8% fewer children

In Dominican Republic, there are approximately 18.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Jamaica, there are 15.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 28.6% less likely to have internet access

In Dominican Republic, approximately 77.0% of the population has internet access as of 2020. In Jamaica, about 55.0% do as of 2019.

Expenditures

spend 35.0% more on education

Dominican Republic spends 4.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2019. Jamaica spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

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.


The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

Jamaica: At a glance

Jamaica is a sovereign country in Central America/Caribbean, with a total land area of approximately 10,831 sq km. The island - discovered by Christopher COLUMBUS in 1494 - was settled by the Spanish early in the 16th century. The native Taino, who had inhabited Jamaica for centuries, were gradually exterminated and replaced by African slaves. England seized the island in 1655 and established a plantation economy based on sugar, cocoa, and coffee. The abolition of slavery in 1834 freed a quarter million slaves, many of whom became small farmers. Jamaica gradually increased its independence from Britain. In 1958 it joined other British Caribbean colonies in forming the Federation of the West Indies. Jamaica gained full independence when it withdrew from the Federation in 1962. Deteriorating economic conditions during the 1970s led to recurrent violence as rival gangs affiliated with the major political parties evolved into powerful organized crime networks involved in international drug smuggling and money laundering. Violent crime, drug trafficking, and poverty pose significant challenges to the government today. Nonetheless, many rural and resort areas remain relatively safe and contribute substantially to the economy.
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How big is Jamaica compared to Dominican Republic? See an in-depth size comparison.

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