Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Puerto Rico instead of Dominican Republic, you would:
Health
live 8.0 years longer
In Dominican Republic, the average life expectancy is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 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 37.8% more likely to be obese
In Dominican Republic, 30.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, that number is 42.4% of people as of 2024.
be 29.0% more likely to die by suicide
Dominican Republic has a suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Puerto Rico, it is 5.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 3.7 times more money
Dominican Republic has a GDP per capita of $11,059 as of 2025, while in Puerto Rico, the GDP per capita is $40,620 as of 2025.
be 17.7% more likely to be unemployed
In Dominican Republic, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Puerto Rico, that number is 6.0% as of 2025.
Life
be 91.1% less likely to die during childbirth
In Dominican Republic, approximately 124.0 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 78.2% 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 Puerto Rico, on the other hand, 6.0 children do as of 2022.
have 67.7% fewer children
In Dominican Republic, there are approximately 17.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, there are 5.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 13.6% more on education
Dominican Republic spends 3.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Puerto Rico spends 4.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 61.1% less coastline
Dominican Republic has a total of 1,288 km of coastline. In Puerto Rico, that number is 501 km.
Safety
be 54.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Dominican Republic, road accidents kill 27.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Puerto Rico, they kill 12.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 33.6% more likely to be murdered
Dominican Republic has a homicide rate of 10.9 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Puerto Rico, that number is 14.6 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 2.5 times more home broadband
Dominican Republic has 11.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Puerto Rico has 28.0 as of 2024.
live with 50.6% less strain on fresh water
Dominican Republic withdraws 40% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Puerto Rico withdraws 20% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 61.2% more CO2
Dominican Republic emits 3.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Puerto Rico emits 4.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), The World Factbook (2022), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Dominican Republic vs. Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico: At a glance
How big is Puerto Rico compared to Dominican Republic? See an in-depth size comparison.