Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Jamaica instead of Kenya, you would:
Health
be 63.3% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Kenya, 3.0% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Jamaica, that number is 1.1% of people as of 2024.
live 7.8 years longer
In Kenya, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024. In Jamaica, that number is 72 years (69 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.
see 3.2 times more spent on your healthcare
Kenya spends $274 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Jamaica spends $869 as of 2023.
have 59.2% more doctors per person
Kenya has 2.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Jamaica has 4.6 as of 2023.
have 39.6% more access to essential health services
Kenya scores 53 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Jamaica scores 74 as of 2021.
be 63.1% less likely to die by suicide
Kenya has a suicide rate of 4.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Jamaica, it is 1.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 3.1 times more likely to be obese
In Kenya, 11.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Jamaica, that number is 35.2% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 39.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Kenya, 5.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Jamaica, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.
be 80.4% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Kenya, 39.8% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Jamaica, however, that number is 7.8% as of 2024.
make 3.4 times more money
Kenya has a GDP per capita of $2,363 as of 2025, while in Jamaica, the GDP per capita is $8,003 as of 2025.
Life
be 52.0% less likely to die during infancy
In Kenya, approximately 34.2 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Jamaica, on the other hand, 16.4 children do as of 2024.
have 57.5% fewer children
In Kenya, there are approximately 27.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Jamaica, there are 11.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 28.2% more likely to have access to electricity
In Kenya, approximately 76% of people have electricity access (96% in urban areas, and 68% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Jamaica, that number is 98% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 96% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 2.6 times more likely to have internet access
In Kenya, approximately 35.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Jamaica, about 90.1% do as of 2024.
be 33.5% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Kenya, approximately 66% of people have access to drinking water (89% in urban areas, and 56% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Jamaica, that number is 88% of people on average (90% in urban areas, and 84% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 37.1% more on education
Kenya spends 4.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Jamaica spends 5.5% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 74.7% more on healthcare
Kenya spends 4.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Jamaica, that number is 7.6% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 90.7% more coastline
Kenya has a total of 536 km of coastline. In Jamaica, that number is 1,022 km.
Safety
be 36.9% less likely to die in a road accident
In Kenya, road accidents kill 28.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Jamaica, they kill 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 10.2 times more likely to be murdered
Kenya has a homicide rate of 4.9 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Jamaica, that number is 49.4 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 5.3 times more home broadband
Kenya has 3.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Jamaica has 16.0 as of 2024.
live with 62.8% less strain on fresh water
Kenya withdraws 33% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Jamaica withdraws 12% as of 2022.
use 6.2 times more electricity
Kenya uses 195 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Jamaica uses 1,205 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 33.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In Kenya, air pollution causes 33.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Jamaica, it causes 22.0 as of 2019.
emit 7.5 times more CO2
Kenya emits 0.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Jamaica emits 2.8 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: Kenya vs. Jamaica
Jamaica: At a glance
How big is Jamaica compared to Kenya? See an in-depth size comparison.