Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Thailand instead of Jamaica, you would:
Health
live 5.0 years longer
In Jamaica, the average life expectancy is 72 years (69 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024. In Thailand, that number is 77 years (72 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
be 53.5% less likely to be obese
In Jamaica, 35.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Thailand, that number is 16.4% of people as of 2024.
see 22.8% more spent on your healthcare
Jamaica spends $869 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Thailand spends $1,067 as of 2023.
have 17.6% more doctors per person
Jamaica has 4.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Thailand has 5.4 as of 2021.
have 10.8% more access to essential health services
Jamaica scores 74 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Thailand scores 82 as of 2021.
be 9.8 times more likely to die by suicide
Jamaica has a suicide rate of 1.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Thailand, it is 16.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 76.3% less likely to be unemployed
In Jamaica, 3.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Thailand, that number is 0.8% as of 2025.
be 30.8% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Jamaica, 7.8% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Thailand, however, that number is 5.4% as of 2022.
Life
be 73.8% 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 Thailand, 34.0 women do as of 2023.
be 53.0% 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 Thailand, on the other hand, 7.7 children do as of 2024.
have 29.1% fewer children
In Jamaica, there are approximately 11.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Thailand, there are 8.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
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 Thailand, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 54.3% less on education
Jamaica spends 5.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Thailand spends 2.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 40.3% less on healthcare
Jamaica spends 7.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Thailand, that number is 4.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 3.1 times more coastline
Jamaica has a total of 1,022 km of coastline. In Thailand, that number is 3,219 km.
Safety
be 42.7% more likely to die in a road accident
In Jamaica, road accidents kill 17.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Thailand, they kill 25.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
use 2.5 times more electricity
Jamaica uses 1,205 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Thailand uses 2,965 kWh as of 2023.
live with 85.9% more strain on fresh water
Jamaica withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Thailand withdraws 23% as of 2022.
Environment
be 31.8% more likely to die from air pollution
In Jamaica, air pollution causes 22.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Thailand, it causes 29.0 as of 2019.
emit 39.4% more CO2
Jamaica emits 2.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Thailand emits 4.0 tonnes as of 2024.
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. Thailand
Thailand: At a glance
How big is Thailand compared to Jamaica? See an in-depth size comparison.