If you lived in Malta instead of Jamaica, you would:

Health

be 72.7% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Jamaica, 1.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Malta, that number is 0.3% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

live 11.3 years longer

In Jamaica, the average life expectancy is 72 years (69 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024. In Malta, that number is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 13.0% less likely to be obese

In Jamaica, 35.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malta, that number is 30.6% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

see 6.6 times more spent on your healthcare

Jamaica spends $869 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malta spends $5,706 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 9.8 times more doctors per person

Jamaica has 4.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Malta has 45.1 as of 2022.

View global rankings →

have 14.9% more access to essential health services

Jamaica scores 74 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Malta scores 85 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 3.8 times more likely to die by suicide

Jamaica has a suicide rate of 1.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malta, it is 6.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 11.9% less likely to be unemployed

In Jamaica, 3.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malta, that number is 2.9% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

make 6.0 times more money

Jamaica has a GDP per capita of $8,003 as of 2025, while in Malta, the GDP per capita is $47,907 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

be 2.1 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In Jamaica, 7.8% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Malta, however, that number is 16.7% as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Life

be 93.8% 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 Malta, 8.0 women do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 71.3% 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 Malta, on the other hand, 4.7 children do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

have 32.8% fewer children

In Jamaica, there are approximately 11.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malta, there are 7.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 14.2% more 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 Malta, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 14.5% less on education

Jamaica spends 5.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Malta spends 4.7% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

View global rankings →

spend 16.3% more on healthcare

Jamaica spends 7.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malta, that number is 8.8% of GDP as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 80.7% less coastline

Jamaica has a total of 1,022 km of coastline. In Malta, that number is 197 km.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 98.9% less likely to be murdered

Jamaica has a homicide rate of 49.4 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Malta, that number is 0.6 per 100,000 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 89.3% less likely to die in a road accident

In Jamaica, road accidents kill 17.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malta, they kill 1.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 2.8 times more home broadband

Jamaica has 16.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Malta has 44.5 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

use 4.2 times more electricity

Jamaica uses 1,205 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Malta uses 5,013 kWh as of 2023.

View global rankings →

live with 5.9 times more strain on fresh water

Jamaica withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malta withdraws 73% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

Environment

emit 12.0% more CO2

Jamaica emits 2.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Malta emits 3.2 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →


Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Malta: At a glance

Malta is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 316 sq km. Great Britain formally acquired possession of Malta in 1814. The island staunchly supported the UK through both world wars and remained in the Commonwealth when it became independent in 1964; a decade later it declared itself a republic. Since about the mid-1980s, the island has transformed itself into a freight transshipment point, a financial center, and a tourist destination. Malta became an EU member in May 2004 and began using the euro as currency in 2008.
Read more

How big is Malta compared to Jamaica? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Malta or Jamaica. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.