Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Jamaica instead of Malta, you would:
Health
be 73.9% less likely to die by suicide
Malta has a suicide rate of 6.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Jamaica, it is 1.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 3.7 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Malta, 0.3% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Jamaica, that number is 1.1% of people as of 2024.
live 11.3 years less
In Malta, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 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.
be 14.9% more likely to be obese
In Malta, 30.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Jamaica, that number is 35.2% of people as of 2024.
see 84.8% less spent on your healthcare
Malta spends $5,706 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Jamaica spends $869 as of 2023.
have 89.8% fewer doctors per person
Malta has 45.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Jamaica has 4.6 as of 2023.
have 12.9% less access to essential health services
Malta scores 85 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Jamaica scores 74 as of 2021.
Economy
be 53.3% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Malta, 16.7% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Jamaica, however, that number is 7.8% as of 2024.
be 13.4% more likely to be unemployed
In Malta, 2.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Jamaica, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.
make 83.3% less money
Malta has a GDP per capita of $47,907 as of 2025, while in Jamaica, the GDP per capita is $8,003 as of 2025.
Life
have 48.7% more children
In Malta, there are approximately 7.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Jamaica, there are 11.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 16.2 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Malta, 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.
be 3.5 times more likely to die during infancy
In Malta, approximately 4.7 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 12.4% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Malta, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 100% 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 14.0% less on healthcare
Malta spends 8.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Jamaica, that number is 7.6% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 17.0% more on education
Malta spends 4.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Jamaica spends 5.5% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 5.2 times more coastline
Malta has a total of 197 km of coastline. In Jamaica, that number is 1,022 km.
Safety
be 88.3 times more likely to be murdered
Malta has a homicide rate of 0.6 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Jamaica, that number is 49.4 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 9.4 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Malta, road accidents kill 1.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Jamaica, they kill 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 82.9% less strain on fresh water
Malta withdraws 73% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Jamaica withdraws 12% as of 2022.
find 64.1% less home broadband
Malta has 44.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Jamaica has 16.0 as of 2024.
use 76.0% less electricity
Malta uses 5,013 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Jamaica uses 1,205 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 10.7% less CO2
Malta emits 3.2 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 (2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Malta vs. Jamaica
Jamaica: At a glance
How big is Jamaica compared to Malta? See an in-depth size comparison.