If you lived in Spain 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 Spain, that number is 0.3% of people as of 2024.

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live 12.3 years longer

In Jamaica, the average life expectancy is 72 years (69 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024. In Spain, that number is 84 years (81 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 56.5% less likely to be obese

In Jamaica, 35.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Spain, that number is 15.3% of people as of 2024.

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see 5.7 times more spent on your healthcare

Jamaica spends $869 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Spain spends $4,935 as of 2023.

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have 9.3 times more doctors per person

Jamaica has 4.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Spain has 42.9 as of 2022.

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have 14.9% more access to essential health services

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

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be 5.2 times more likely to die by suicide

Jamaica has a suicide rate of 1.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Spain, it is 8.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

make 4.8 times more money

Jamaica has a GDP per capita of $8,003 as of 2025, while in Spain, the GDP per capita is $38,627 as of 2025.

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be 3.2 times more likely to be unemployed

In Jamaica, 3.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Spain, that number is 10.4% as of 2025.

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be 2.6 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In Jamaica, 7.8% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Spain, however, that number is 20.2% as of 2022.

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Life

be 97.7% 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 Spain, 3.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 84.1% 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 Spain, on the other hand, 2.6 children do as of 2024.

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have 43.2% fewer children

In Jamaica, there are approximately 11.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Spain, there are 6.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 14.1% 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 Spain, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 16.7% less on education

Jamaica spends 5.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Spain spends 4.6% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

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spend 21.3% more on healthcare

Jamaica spends 7.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Spain, that number is 9.2% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 4.9 times more coastline

Jamaica has a total of 1,022 km of coastline. In Spain, that number is 4,964 km.

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Safety

be 98.6% less likely to be murdered

Jamaica has a homicide rate of 49.4 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Spain, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.

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be 80.3% less likely to die in a road accident

In Jamaica, road accidents kill 17.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Spain, they kill 3.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 2.5 times more home broadband

Jamaica has 16.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Spain has 39.2 as of 2024.

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use 4.3 times more electricity

Jamaica uses 1,205 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Spain uses 5,196 kWh as of 2024.

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live with 3.5 times more strain on fresh water

Jamaica withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Spain withdraws 43% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 54.5% less likely to die from air pollution

In Jamaica, air pollution causes 22.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Spain, it causes 10.0 as of 2019.

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emit 58.8% more CO2

Jamaica emits 2.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Spain emits 4.5 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Spain: At a glance

Spain is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 498,980 sq km. Spain's powerful world empire of the 16th and 17th centuries ultimately yielded command of the seas to England. Subsequent failure to embrace the mercantile and industrial revolutions caused the country to fall behind Britain, France, and Germany in economic and political power. Spain remained neutral in World War I and II but suffered through a devastating civil war (1936-39). A peaceful transition to democracy following the death of dictator Francisco FRANCO in 1975, and rapid economic modernization (Spain joined the EU in 1986) gave Spain a dynamic and rapidly growing economy and made it a global champion of freedom and human rights. More recently the government has had to focus on measures to reverse a severe economic recession that began in mid-2008. Austerity measures implemented to reduce a large budget deficit and reassure foreign investors have led to one of the highest unemployment rates in Europe.
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How big is Spain compared to Jamaica? See an in-depth size comparison.

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