Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Puerto Rico instead of Malawi, you would:
Health
live 14.3 years longer
In Malawi, the average life expectancy is 68 years (64 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, that number is 82 years (78 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024.
be 28.4% less likely to die by suicide
Malawi has a suicide rate of 7.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Puerto Rico, it is 5.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 5.3 times more likely to be obese
In Malawi, 8.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, that number is 42.4% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 60.5 times more money
Malawi has a GDP per capita of $672 as of 2025, while in Puerto Rico, the GDP per capita is $40,620 as of 2025.
be 18.1% more likely to be unemployed
In Malawi, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Puerto Rico, that number is 6.0% as of 2025.
Life
be 95.1% less likely to die during childbirth
In Malawi, approximately 225.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Puerto Rico, 11.0 women do as of 2023.
be 37.3% more likely to be literate
In Malawi, the literacy rate is 67.3% as of 2021. In Puerto Rico, it is 92.4% as of 2021.
be 84.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Malawi, approximately 38.0 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, on the other hand, 6.0 children do as of 2022.
have 81.7% fewer children
In Malawi, there are approximately 31.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, there are 5.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 6.4 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Malawi, approximately 16% of people have electricity access (58% in urban areas, and 6% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Puerto Rico, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 4.6 times more likely to have internet access
In Malawi, approximately 19.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, about 87.3% do as of 2022.
be 36.9% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Malawi, approximately 73% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, 100% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 55.3% more on education
Malawi spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Puerto Rico spends 4.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Safety
be 38.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In Malawi, road accidents kill 20.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Puerto Rico, they kill 12.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 311.0 times more home broadband
Malawi has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Puerto Rico has 28.0 as of 2024.
live with 11.7% more strain on fresh water
Malawi withdraws 18% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Puerto Rico withdraws 20% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 21.9 times more CO2
Malawi emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Puerto Rico emits 4.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), The World Factbook (2021–2022), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Malawi vs. Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico: At a glance
How big is Puerto Rico compared to Malawi? See an in-depth size comparison.