Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Guyana instead of Jamaica, you would:
Health
be 14.4% less likely to be obese
In Jamaica, 35.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Guyana, that number is 30.1% of people as of 2024.
see 53.2% more spent on your healthcare
Jamaica spends $869 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Guyana spends $1,331 as of 2023.
have 3.0 times more doctors per person
Jamaica has 4.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Guyana has 13.9 as of 2020.
be 45.5% more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Jamaica, 1.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Guyana, that number is 1.6% of people as of 2024.
live 1.3 years less
In Jamaica, the average life expectancy is 72 years (69 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024. In Guyana, that number is 70 years (67 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.
be 14.7 times more likely to die by suicide
Jamaica has a suicide rate of 1.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Guyana, it is 24.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 4.1 times more money
Jamaica has a GDP per capita of $8,003 as of 2025, while in Guyana, the GDP per capita is $32,414 as of 2025.
be 3.6 times more likely to be unemployed
In Jamaica, 3.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Guyana, that number is 12.0% as of 2025.
Life
be 42.3% 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 Guyana, 75.0 women do as of 2023.
have 73.6% more children
In Jamaica, there are approximately 11.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Guyana, there are 19.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 41.5% more 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 Guyana, on the other hand, 23.2 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 67.5% less on healthcare
Jamaica spends 7.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Guyana, that number is 2.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 55.1% less coastline
Jamaica has a total of 1,022 km of coastline. In Guyana, that number is 459 km.
Safety
be 61.3% less likely to be murdered
Jamaica has a homicide rate of 49.4 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Guyana, that number is 19.1 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 14.6% less likely to die in a road accident
In Jamaica, road accidents kill 17.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Guyana, they kill 15.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 73.3% less strain on fresh water
Jamaica withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Guyana withdraws 3% as of 2022.
find 19.0% less home broadband
Jamaica has 16.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Guyana has 12.9 as of 2022.
Environment
be 2.4 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Jamaica, air pollution causes 22.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Guyana, it causes 52.0 as of 2019.
emit 60.6% more CO2
Jamaica emits 2.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Guyana emits 4.6 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: Jamaica vs. Guyana
Guyana: At a glance
How big is Guyana compared to Jamaica? See an in-depth size comparison.