Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Kenya instead of Jamaica, you would:
Health
be 67.9% less likely to be obese
In Jamaica, 35.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Kenya, that number is 11.3% of people as of 2024.
be 2.7 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Jamaica, 1.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Kenya, that number is 3.0% of people as of 2024.
live 7.8 years less
In Jamaica, the average life expectancy is 72 years (69 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024. In Kenya, that number is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024.
see 68.4% less spent on your healthcare
Jamaica spends $869 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Kenya spends $274 as of 2023.
have 37.2% fewer doctors per person
Jamaica has 4.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Kenya has 2.9 as of 2023.
have 28.4% less access to essential health services
Jamaica scores 74 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Kenya scores 53 as of 2021.
be 2.7 times more likely to die by suicide
Jamaica has a suicide rate of 1.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Kenya, it is 4.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 65.7% more likely to be unemployed
In Jamaica, 3.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Kenya, that number is 5.5% as of 2025.
be 5.1 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Jamaica, 7.8% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Kenya, however, that number is 39.8% as of 2022.
make 70.5% less money
Jamaica has a GDP per capita of $8,003 as of 2025, while in Kenya, the GDP per capita is $2,363 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.4 times more children
In Jamaica, there are approximately 11.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Kenya, there are 27.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.1 times 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 Kenya, on the other hand, 34.2 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 22.0% less likely to have access to electricity
In Jamaica, approximately 98% of people have electricity access (99% in urban areas, and 96% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Kenya, that number is 76% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 68% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 61.2% less likely to have internet access
In Jamaica, approximately 90.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Kenya, about 35.0% do as of 2024.
be 25.1% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Jamaica, approximately 88% of people have access to drinking water (90% in urban areas, and 84% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Kenya, that number is 66% of people on average (89% in urban areas, and 56% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 27.0% less on education
Jamaica spends 5.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Kenya spends 4.0% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 42.8% less on healthcare
Jamaica spends 7.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Kenya, that number is 4.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 47.6% less coastline
Jamaica has a total of 1,022 km of coastline. In Kenya, that number is 536 km.
Safety
be 90.1% less likely to be murdered
Jamaica has a homicide rate of 49.4 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Kenya, that number is 4.9 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 58.4% more likely to die in a road accident
In Jamaica, road accidents kill 17.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Kenya, they kill 28.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 81.0% less home broadband
Jamaica has 16.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Kenya has 3.0 as of 2024.
live with 2.7 times more strain on fresh water
Jamaica withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Kenya withdraws 33% as of 2022.
use 83.8% less electricity
Jamaica uses 1,205 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Kenya uses 195 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
emit 86.6% less CO2
Jamaica emits 2.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Kenya emits 0.4 tonnes as of 2024.
be 50.0% more likely to die from air pollution
In Jamaica, air pollution causes 22.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Kenya, it causes 33.0 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: Jamaica vs. Kenya
Kenya: At a glance
How big is Kenya compared to Jamaica? See an in-depth size comparison.