If you lived in Jamaica instead of El Salvador, you would:

Health

be 77.9% less likely to die by suicide

El Salvador has a suicide rate of 7.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Jamaica, it is 1.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 2.8 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In El Salvador, 0.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Jamaica, that number is 1.1% of people as of 2024.

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see 26.1% less spent on your healthcare

El Salvador spends $1,176 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Jamaica spends $869 as of 2023.

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have 71.5% fewer doctors per person

El Salvador has 16.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Jamaica has 4.6 as of 2023.

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Economy

be 71.3% less likely to live below the poverty line

In El Salvador, 27.2% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Jamaica, however, that number is 7.8% as of 2024.

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make 38.8% more money

El Salvador has a GDP per capita of $5,767 as of 2025, while in Jamaica, the GDP per capita is $8,003 as of 2025.

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Life

be 3.3 times more likely to die during childbirth

In El Salvador, approximately 39.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Jamaica, 130.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 86.4% more likely to die during infancy

In El Salvador, approximately 8.8 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.

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have 26.6% fewer children

In El Salvador, there are approximately 15.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Jamaica, there are 11.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 35.5% more likely to have internet access

In El Salvador, approximately 66.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Jamaica, about 90.1% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 18.2% less on healthcare

El Salvador spends 9.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Jamaica, that number is 7.6% of GDP as of 2023.

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spend 66.0% more on education

El Salvador spends 3.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Jamaica spends 5.5% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

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Geography

see 3.3 times more coastline

El Salvador has a total of 307 km of coastline. In Jamaica, that number is 1,022 km.

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Safety

be 83.6% more likely to feel safe walking alone at night

In El Salvador, 38% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2019. In Jamaica, that number is 70% as of 2019.

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be 17.2% less likely to die in a road accident

In El Salvador, road accidents kill 21.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Jamaica, they kill 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 6.3 times more likely to be murdered

El Salvador has a homicide rate of 7.9 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Jamaica, that number is 49.4 per 100,000 as of 2023.

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Infrastructure

find 28.3% more home broadband

El Salvador has 12.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Jamaica has 16.0 as of 2024.

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Environment

be 29.0% less likely to die from air pollution

In El Salvador, air pollution causes 31.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Jamaica, it causes 22.0 as of 2019.

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emit 88.1% more CO2

El Salvador emits 1.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Jamaica emits 2.8 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

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 El Salvador? See an in-depth size comparison.

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