Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Puerto Rico instead of Guatemala, you would:
Health
live 9.2 years longer
In Guatemala, the average life expectancy is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 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 51.5% more likely to be obese
In Guatemala, 28.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, that number is 42.4% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 6.2 times more money
Guatemala has a GDP per capita of $6,598 as of 2025, while in Puerto Rico, the GDP per capita is $40,620 as of 2025.
be 2.3 times more likely to be unemployed
In Guatemala, 2.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Puerto Rico, that number is 6.0% as of 2025.
Life
be 88.3% less 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 Puerto Rico, 11.0 women do as of 2023.
be 12.5% more likely to be literate
In Guatemala, the literacy rate is 82.1% as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, it is 92.4% as of 2021.
be 64.9% less likely to die during infancy
In Guatemala, approximately 17.2 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 72.4% fewer children
In Guatemala, there are approximately 20.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, there are 5.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 45.0% more likely to have internet access
In Guatemala, approximately 60.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, about 87.3% do as of 2022.
Expenditures
spend 38.6% more on education
Guatemala spends 3.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Puerto Rico spends 4.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 25.2% more coastline
Guatemala has a total of 400 km of coastline. In Puerto Rico, that number is 501 km.
Safety
be 37.6% less likely to be murdered
Guatemala has a homicide rate of 23.4 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Puerto Rico, that number is 14.6 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 5.2 times more home broadband
Guatemala has 5.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Puerto Rico has 28.0 as of 2024.
live with 3.4 times more strain on fresh water
Guatemala withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Puerto Rico withdraws 20% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 4.3 times more CO2
Guatemala emits 1.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Puerto Rico emits 4.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), The World Factbook (2021–2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Guatemala vs. Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico: At a glance
How big is Puerto Rico compared to Guatemala? See an in-depth size comparison.