Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Jamaica instead of Guatemala, you would:
Health
have 25.4% more access to essential health services
Guatemala scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Jamaica scores 74 as of 2021.
be 65.8% less likely to die by suicide
Guatemala has a suicide rate of 4.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Jamaica, it is 1.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 5.5 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Guatemala, 0.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Jamaica, that number is 1.1% of people as of 2024.
live 1.1 years less
In Guatemala, the average life expectancy is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 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 25.8% more likely to be obese
In Guatemala, 28.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Jamaica, that number is 35.2% of people as of 2024.
have 64.1% fewer doctors per person
Guatemala has 12.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Jamaica has 4.6 as of 2023.
Economy
be 86.1% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Guatemala, 56.0% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Jamaica, however, that number is 7.8% as of 2024.
make 21.3% more money
Guatemala has a GDP per capita of $6,598 as of 2025, while in Jamaica, the GDP per capita is $8,003 as of 2025.
be 26.5% more likely to be unemployed
In Guatemala, 2.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Jamaica, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.
Life
be 38.3% more likely to die during childbirth
In Guatemala, approximately 94.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Jamaica, 130.0 women do as of 2023.
have 44.5% fewer children
In Guatemala, there are approximately 20.6 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 49.6% more likely to have internet access
In Guatemala, approximately 60.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Jamaica, about 90.1% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 78.9% more on education
Guatemala spends 3.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Jamaica spends 5.5% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 11.8% more on healthcare
Guatemala spends 6.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Jamaica, that number is 7.6% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 2.6 times more coastline
Guatemala has a total of 400 km of coastline. In Jamaica, that number is 1,022 km.
Safety
be 2.1 times more likely to be murdered
Guatemala has a homicide rate of 23.4 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Jamaica, that number is 49.4 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 41.3% more likely to die in a road accident
In Guatemala, road accidents kill 12.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Jamaica, they kill 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 3.0 times more home broadband
Guatemala has 5.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Jamaica has 16.0 as of 2024.
use 64.3% more electricity
Guatemala uses 733 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Jamaica uses 1,205 kWh as of 2023.
live with 2.2 times more strain on fresh water
Guatemala withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Jamaica withdraws 12% as of 2022.
Environment
be 45.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Guatemala, air pollution causes 40.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Jamaica, it causes 22.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.6 times more CO2
Guatemala emits 1.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Jamaica emits 2.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Guatemala vs. Jamaica
Jamaica: At a glance
How big is Jamaica compared to Guatemala? See an in-depth size comparison.