Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Puerto Rico instead of Malta, you would:
Health
be 16.2% less likely to die by suicide
Malta has a suicide rate of 6.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Puerto Rico, it is 5.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 1.1 years less
In Malta, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 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 38.4% more likely to be obese
In Malta, 30.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, that number is 42.4% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 2.1 times more likely to be unemployed
In Malta, 2.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Puerto Rico, that number is 6.0% as of 2025.
make 15.2% less money
Malta has a GDP per capita of $47,907 as of 2025, while in Puerto Rico, the GDP per capita is $40,620 as of 2025.
Life
be 37.5% 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 Puerto Rico, 11.0 women do as of 2023.
be 28.5% 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 Puerto Rico, on the other hand, 6.0 children do as of 2022.
have 26.0% fewer children
In Malta, there are approximately 7.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, there are 5.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Geography
see 2.5 times more coastline
Malta has a total of 197 km of coastline. In Puerto Rico, that number is 501 km.
Safety
be 26.1 times more likely to be murdered
Malta has a homicide rate of 0.6 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Puerto Rico, that number is 14.6 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 6.6 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Malta, road accidents kill 1.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Puerto Rico, they kill 12.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 73.1% less strain on fresh water
Malta withdraws 73% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Puerto Rico withdraws 20% as of 2022.
find 37.1% less home broadband
Malta has 44.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Puerto Rico has 28.0 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 51.6% more CO2
Malta emits 3.2 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 (2022), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Malta vs. Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico: At a glance
How big is Puerto Rico compared to Malta? See an in-depth size comparison.