Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Puerto Rico instead of Mexico, you would:
Health
live 6.6 years longer
In Mexico, the average life expectancy is 75 years (72 years for men, 78 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 22.0% less likely to die by suicide
Mexico has a suicide rate of 7.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Puerto Rico, it is 5.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 13.5% more likely to be obese
In Mexico, 37.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, that number is 42.4% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 2.9 times more money
Mexico has a GDP per capita of $13,889 as of 2025, while in Puerto Rico, the GDP per capita is $40,620 as of 2025.
be 2.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In Mexico, 2.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Puerto Rico, that number is 6.0% as of 2025.
Life
be 73.8% less likely to die during childbirth
In Mexico, approximately 42.0 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 50.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Mexico, approximately 12.1 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 63.1% fewer children
In Mexico, there are approximately 15.5 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 94.6% less coastline
Mexico has a total of 9,330 km of coastline. In Puerto Rico, that number is 501 km.
Safety
be 41.3% less likely to be murdered
Mexico has a homicide rate of 24.9 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Puerto Rico, that number is 14.6 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 28.7% more home broadband
Mexico has 21.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Puerto Rico has 28.0 as of 2024.
live with 56.5% less strain on fresh water
Mexico withdraws 45% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Puerto Rico withdraws 20% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 32.4% more CO2
Mexico emits 3.6 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). How we calculate this
Compare further: Mexico vs. Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico: At a glance
How big is Puerto Rico compared to Mexico? See an in-depth size comparison.