Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Jamaica instead of Ireland, you would:
Health
be 80.2% less likely to die by suicide
Ireland has a suicide rate of 8.6 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 Ireland, 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 11.4 years less
In Ireland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 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 26.2% more likely to be obese
In Ireland, 27.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Jamaica, that number is 35.2% of people as of 2024.
see 90.1% less spent on your healthcare
Ireland spends $8,772 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Jamaica spends $869 as of 2023.
have 88.1% fewer doctors per person
Ireland has 38.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Jamaica has 4.6 as of 2023.
have 10.8% less access to essential health services
Ireland scores 83 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Jamaica scores 74 as of 2021.
Economy
be 28.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Ireland, 4.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Jamaica, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.
be 44.3% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Ireland, 14.0% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Jamaica, however, that number is 7.8% as of 2024.
make 93.9% less money
Ireland has a GDP per capita of $131,592 as of 2025, while in Jamaica, the GDP per capita is $8,003 as of 2025.
Life
have 14.5% more children
In Ireland, there are approximately 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Jamaica, there are 11.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 32.5 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Ireland, approximately 4.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Jamaica, 130.0 women do as of 2023.
be 4.8 times more likely to die during infancy
In Ireland, approximately 3.4 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.
Expenditures
spend 90.0% more on education
Ireland spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Jamaica spends 5.5% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 10.9% more on healthcare
Ireland spends 6.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Jamaica, that number is 7.6% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 29.4% less coastline
Ireland has a total of 1,448 km of coastline. In Jamaica, that number is 1,022 km.
Safety
be 76.1 times more likely to be murdered
Ireland has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Jamaica, that number is 49.4 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 6.4 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Ireland, road accidents kill 2.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Jamaica, they kill 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 50.5% less home broadband
Ireland has 32.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Jamaica has 16.0 as of 2024.
live with 53.8% more strain on fresh water
Ireland withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Jamaica withdraws 12% as of 2022.
use 80.9% less electricity
Ireland uses 6,298 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Jamaica uses 1,205 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 53.0% less CO2
Ireland emits 6.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Jamaica emits 2.8 tonnes as of 2024.
be 69.2% more likely to die from air pollution
In Ireland, air pollution causes 13.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Jamaica, it causes 22.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Ireland vs. Jamaica
Jamaica: At a glance
How big is Jamaica compared to Ireland? See an in-depth size comparison.