Quality of life comparison
If you lived in China instead of Jamaica, you would:
Health
live 6.4 years longer
In Jamaica, the average life expectancy is 72 years (69 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024. In China, that number is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
be 73.6% less likely to be obese
In Jamaica, 35.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In China, that number is 9.3% of people as of 2024.
see 71.2% more spent on your healthcare
Jamaica spends $869 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). China spends $1,487 as of 2023.
have 6.8 times more doctors per person
Jamaica has 4.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. China has 31.1 as of 2022.
be 5.3 times more likely to die by suicide
Jamaica has a suicide rate of 1.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In China, it is 8.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 73.2% more money
Jamaica has a GDP per capita of $8,003 as of 2025, while in China, the GDP per capita is $13,862 as of 2025.
be 40.4% more likely to be unemployed
In Jamaica, 3.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In China, that number is 4.6% as of 2025.
Life
be 87.7% less likely to die during childbirth
In Jamaica, approximately 130.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In China, 16.0 women do as of 2023.
be 75.0% less likely to die during infancy
In Jamaica, approximately 16.4 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In China, on the other hand, 4.1 children do as of 2024.
have 40.9% fewer children
In Jamaica, there are approximately 11.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In China, there are 6.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 29.2% less on education
Jamaica spends 5.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. China spends 3.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 21.8% less on healthcare
Jamaica spends 7.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In China, that number is 5.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 14.2 times more coastline
Jamaica has a total of 1,022 km of coastline. In China, that number is 14,500 km.
Safety
be 99.0% less likely to be murdered
Jamaica has a homicide rate of 49.4 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In China, that number is 0.5 per 100,000 as of 2020.
be 31.4% more likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Jamaica, 70% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2019. In China, that number is 91% as of 2020.
Infrastructure
find 3.0 times more home broadband
Jamaica has 16.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. China has 47.2 as of 2024.
use 5.4 times more electricity
Jamaica uses 1,205 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. China uses 6,524 kWh as of 2023.
live with 3.4 times more strain on fresh water
Jamaica withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. China withdraws 42% as of 2022.
Environment
be 2.9 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Jamaica, air pollution causes 22.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In China, it causes 64.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.3 times more CO2
Jamaica emits 2.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. China emits 9.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2020), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Jamaica vs. China
China: At a glance
How big is China compared to Jamaica? See an in-depth size comparison.