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

Health

be 12.9% less likely to be obese

In Kuwait, 40.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Jamaica, that number is 35.2% of people as of 2024.

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be 26.8% less likely to die by suicide

Kuwait has a suicide rate of 2.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Jamaica, it is 1.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 11.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Kuwait, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Jamaica, that number is 1.1% of people as of 2024.

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live 13.0 years less

In Kuwait, the average life expectancy is 85 years (84 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024. In Jamaica, that number is 72 years (69 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 66.2% less spent on your healthcare

Kuwait spends $2,567 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Jamaica spends $869 as of 2023.

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have 79.8% fewer doctors per person

Kuwait has 22.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Jamaica has 4.6 as of 2023.

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Economy

be 50.9% more likely to be unemployed

In Kuwait, 2.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Jamaica, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.

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make 75.2% less money

Kuwait has a GDP per capita of $32,312 as of 2025, while in Jamaica, the GDP per capita is $8,003 as of 2025.

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Life

have 14.3% more children

In Kuwait, there are approximately 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Jamaica, there are 11.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 16.2 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Kuwait, approximately 8.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Jamaica, 130.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 2.3 times more likely to die during infancy

In Kuwait, approximately 7.0 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.

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Basic Needs

be 12.4% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Kuwait, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Jamaica, 88% of people do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 14.4% less on education

Kuwait spends 6.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Jamaica spends 5.5% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

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spend 53.2% more on healthcare

Kuwait spends 5.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Jamaica, that number is 7.6% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 2.0 times more coastline

Kuwait has a total of 499 km of coastline. In Jamaica, that number is 1,022 km.

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Safety

be 197.8 times more likely to be murdered

Kuwait has a homicide rate of 0.2 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Jamaica, that number is 49.4 per 100,000 as of 2023.

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be 93.5% more likely to die in a road accident

In Kuwait, road accidents kill 9.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Jamaica, they kill 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 15.8 times more home broadband

Kuwait has 1.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Jamaica has 16.0 as of 2024.

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live with 99.7% less strain on fresh water

Kuwait withdraws 3850% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Jamaica withdraws 12% as of 2022.

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use 92.7% less electricity

Kuwait uses 16,496 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Jamaica uses 1,205 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

be 51.1% less likely to die from air pollution

In Kuwait, air pollution causes 45.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Jamaica, it causes 22.0 as of 2019.

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emit 88.0% less CO2

Kuwait emits 23.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Jamaica emits 2.8 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Jamaica: At a glance

Jamaica is a sovereign country in Central America/Caribbean, with a total land area of approximately 10,831 sq km. The island - discovered by Christopher COLUMBUS in 1494 - was settled by the Spanish early in the 16th century. The native Taino, who had inhabited Jamaica for centuries, were gradually exterminated and replaced by African slaves. England seized the island in 1655 and established a plantation economy based on sugar, cocoa, and coffee. The abolition of slavery in 1834 freed a quarter million slaves, many of whom became small farmers. Jamaica gradually increased its independence from Britain. In 1958 it joined other British Caribbean colonies in forming the Federation of the West Indies. Jamaica gained full independence when it withdrew from the Federation in 1962. Deteriorating economic conditions during the 1970s led to recurrent violence as rival gangs affiliated with the major political parties evolved into powerful organized crime networks involved in international drug smuggling and money laundering. Violent crime, drug trafficking, and poverty pose significant challenges to the government today. Nonetheless, many rural and resort areas remain relatively safe and contribute substantially to the economy.
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