Quality of life comparison
If you lived in North Korea instead of Jamaica, you would:
Health
be 72.5% less likely to be obese
In Jamaica, 24.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In North Korea, that number is 6.8% of people as of 2016.
live 4.0 years less
In Jamaica, the average life expectancy is 76 years (74 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2022. In North Korea, that number is 72 years (68 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2022.
Economy
make 80.5% less money
Jamaica has a GDP per capita of $8,700 as of 2020, while in North Korea, the GDP per capita is $1,700 as of 2015.
be 3.3 times more likely to be unemployed
In Jamaica, 7.7% of adults are unemployed as of 2019. In North Korea, that number is 25.6% as of 2013.
Life
be 12.7% more likely to be literate
In Jamaica, the literacy rate is 88.7% as of 2015. In North Korea, it is 100.0% as of 2015.
be 98.8% more likely to die during infancy
In Jamaica, approximately 11.2 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In North Korea, on the other hand, 22.2 children do as of 2022.
have 10.7% fewer children
In Jamaica, there are approximately 15.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In North Korea, there are 14.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 73.7% less likely to have access to electricity
In Jamaica, approximately 99% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 97% in rural areas) as of 2019. In North Korea, that number is 26% of people on average (36% in urban areas, and 11% in rural areas) as of 2019.
Geography
see 2.4 times more coastline
Jamaica has a total of 1,022 km of coastline. In North Korea, that number is 2,495 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.
North Korea: At a glance
How big is North Korea compared to Jamaica? See an in-depth size comparison.