Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Jamaica instead of Latvia, you would:
Health
be 88.9% less likely to die by suicide
Latvia has a suicide rate of 15.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Jamaica, it is 1.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.2 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Latvia, 0.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Jamaica, that number is 1.1% of people as of 2024.
live 4.8 years less
In Latvia, the average life expectancy is 76 years (72 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024. In Jamaica, that number is 72 years (69 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.
be 57.7% more likely to be obese
In Latvia, 22.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Jamaica, that number is 35.2% of people as of 2024.
see 71.4% less spent on your healthcare
Latvia spends $3,034 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Jamaica spends $869 as of 2023.
have 86.5% fewer doctors per person
Latvia has 34.0 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Jamaica has 4.6 as of 2023.
Economy
be 49.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Latvia, 6.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Jamaica, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.
be 65.3% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Latvia, 22.5% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Jamaica, however, that number is 7.8% as of 2024.
make 69.6% less money
Latvia has a GDP per capita of $26,312 as of 2025, while in Jamaica, the GDP per capita is $8,003 as of 2025.
Life
have 65.9% more children
In Latvia, there are approximately 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Jamaica, there are 11.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 6.8 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Latvia, approximately 19.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Jamaica, 130.0 women do as of 2023.
be 7.5 times more likely to die during infancy
In Latvia, approximately 2.2 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.
Basic Needs
be 11.3% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Latvia, approximately 99% of people have access to drinking water (99% in urban areas, and 99% 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 27.5% more on education
Latvia spends 4.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Jamaica spends 5.5% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 2.1 times more coastline
Latvia has a total of 498 km of coastline. In Jamaica, that number is 1,022 km.
Safety
be 19.8 times more likely to be murdered
Latvia has a homicide rate of 2.5 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Jamaica, that number is 49.4 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 81.6% more likely to die in a road accident
In Latvia, road accidents kill 9.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Jamaica, they kill 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 37.9% less home broadband
Latvia has 25.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Jamaica has 16.0 as of 2024.
live with 12.1 times more strain on fresh water
Latvia withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Jamaica withdraws 12% as of 2022.
use 68.0% less electricity
Latvia uses 3,768 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Jamaica uses 1,205 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 45.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Latvia, air pollution causes 40.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Jamaica, it causes 22.0 as of 2019.
emit 22.2% less CO2
Latvia emits 3.6 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: Latvia vs. Jamaica
Jamaica: At a glance
How big is Jamaica compared to Latvia? See an in-depth size comparison.